--- title: "1 Forward Going Quotes By John Barth" description: "1 Forward Going quotes by John Barth. Plus more from John Barth and more Forward Going sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/john-barth-5311_carts_like-an-ox-cart-driver-in-monsoon-season_1907982.jpg" --- > [Like an ox-cart driver in monsoon season or the skipper of a grounded ship, one must sometimes go forward by going back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/like-an-ox-cart-driver-in-monsoon-season-or-the-skipper-of-a-grounded/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/john-barth-5311_carts_like-an-ox-cart-driver-in-monsoon-season_1907982.jpg) ## More by John Barth > [Tis e'er the wont of simple folk to prize the deed and o'erlook the motive, and of learned folk to discount the deed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/tis-e-er-the-wont-of-simple-folk-to-prize-the-deed-and-o-erlook-the/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [“So, I begin each day with a gesture of cynicism, and close it with a gesture of faith; or, if you prefer, begin it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/so-i-begin-each-day-with-a-gesture-of-cynicism-and-close-it-with-a/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [I admire writers who can make complicated things simple, but my own talent has been to make simple things complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/i-admire-writers-who-can-make-complicated-things-simple-but-my-own/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [“That clever folk care less for what ye think than why ye think it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/that-clever-folk-care-less-for-what-ye-think-than-why-ye-think-it/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [Printed prose is historically a most peculiar, almost an aberrant way of telling stories, and by far the most inherently anesthetic: It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/printed-prose-is-historically-a-most-peculiar-almost-an-aberrant-way/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [“There's a great difficulty in making choices if you have any imagination at all. Faced with such a multitude of desireable choices, no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/there-s-a-great-difficulty-in-making-choices-if-you-have-any/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [Self knowledge is always bad news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/self-knowledge-is-always-bad-news/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [The first obligation of the writer is to be interesting. To be interesting; not to change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/the-first-obligation-of-the-writer-is-to-be-interesting-to-be/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [Yet everyone begins in the same place; how is it that most go along without difficulty but a few lose their way?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/yet-everyone-begins-in-the-same-place-how-is-it-that-most-go-along/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [A curious thing about written literature: It is about four thousand years old, but we have no way of knowing whether four thousand years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/a-curious-thing-about-written-literature-it-is-about-four-thousand/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [Nothing is loathsomer than the self-loathing of a self one loathes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/nothing-is-loathsomer-than-the-self-loathing-of-a-self-one-loathes/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [He wishes he had never entered the funhouse. But he has. Then he wishes he were dead. But he's not. Therefore he will construct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/he-wishes-he-had-never-entered-the-funhouse-but-he-has-then-he-wishes/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [“Am I boring you? I don't really care, I suppose, but I'll be more comfortable if I knew all this interested you. No doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/am-i-boring-you-i-don-t-really-care-i-suppose-but-i-ll-be-more/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [Though life's tuition is always ruinous, inexorably we learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/though-life-s-tuition-is-always-ruinous-inexorably-we-learn/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [“The difference here 'twixt simple and witty folk, if the truth be known, is that your plain man cares much for what stand ye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/the-difference-here-twixt-simple-and-witty-folk-if-the-truth-be-known/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward-going/john-barth/#itemlist", "name": "1 Forward Going Quotes By John Barth", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Like an ox-cart driver in monsoon season or the skipper of a grounded ship, one must sometimes go forward by going back.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Barth" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/like-an-ox-cart-driver-in-monsoon-season-or-the-skipper-of-a-grounded/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/john-barth-5311_carts_like-an-ox-cart-driver-in-monsoon-season_1907982.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/john-barth-5311_carts_like-an-ox-cart-driver-in-monsoon-season_1907982.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/john-barth-5311_carts_like-an-ox-cart-driver-in-monsoon-season_1907982.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Like an ox-cart driver in monsoon season or the skipper of a grounded ship, one must sometimes go forward by…” — John Barth", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward-going/john-barth/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward-going/john-barth/", "name": "Forward Going Quotes by John Barth", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward-going/john-barth/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/john-barth-5311_carts_like-an-ox-cart-driver-in-monsoon-season_1907982.jpg" }, "description": "1 Forward Going quotes by John Barth. 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