Dignity was the first quality to be abandoned when the heart took over the running of human affairs. — William Boyd Abandoned Copy Share Image
“I say to myself, at last you are in tune with the universe.” — William Boyd Acceptance Copy Share Image
I have this lock of hair that keeps falling across my forehead. It drives me mad. — William Boyd Across Copy Share Image
The last thing we ever learn about ourselves is our effect. — William Boyd Education Copy Share Image
“But you can be too intelligent, I said. Sometimes it's not an asset it's a curse.” — William Boyd Curse Copy Share Image
“what massive turbulence of emotion she hid beneath a surface of total calm and placidity.” — William Boyd Heart Copy Share Image
“I wasn't feeling grief: that hellish chest-crammed agony you feel - but some portion of my brain activated by the memory decided… — William Boyd Death Copy Share Image
“The idea of a priori moral judgements ('It is morally wrong to inflict gratuitous pain') is completely acceptable to the vast majority… — William Boyd Character Copy Share Image
“I love to use these phrases - 'with the greatest respect', 'in all modest', 'I humbly submit' - which in fact always… — William Boyd Humble Copy Share Image
“I know part of my sorrow is just disguised self-pity, I needed that exchange and I worry how I'll cope without it… — William Boyd Grief Copy Share Image
It's strange; when I was younger and people would ask, 'Where are you from?', I'd say, 'West Africa', which was odd because… — William Boyd Africa Copy Share Image
“We're not ready for it - for people our age to die. We think we're safe for a while, but it's a… — William Boyd Dreams Copy Share Image
“Love is not a feeling. It does not belong to that category of bodily experience which would include, for instance, pain.” — William Boyd Feeling Copy Share Image
“That's ally our life amounts to in the end: the aggregate of all the good luck and the bad luck you experience.… — William Boyd Bad luck Copy Share Image
As a novelist, where do you go to tap into memories, and impressions, and sensations? It's usually, in my experience, your early… — William Boyd Because Copy Share Image
“It was like picking a scab off a sore; he actually wanted scar tissue - it would be quite wrong to try… — William Boyd Every step Copy Share Image
“From time to time Eva would venture on deck to gaze at the grey sky,the grey turbulent water and the grey ships… — William Boyd Time Copy Share Image
“You know that feeling, when you can almost see the two or several directions your life might take ahead of you, a… — William Boyd Life Copy Share Image
Is that a good definition of marking the ageing watershed? That moment when you realize - quite rationally, quite unemotionally - that… — William Boyd Ageing Copy Share Image
Writing a film - more precisely, adapting a book into a film - is basically a relentless series of compromises. The skill,… — William Boyd Adapting Copy Share Image
“LOSER! You English lose...I suppose he thought it was the most grievous insult he could hurl. But such a curse doesn't really… — William Boyd English Copy Share Image
“Those were the years when I was truly happy. Knowing that is both a blessing and a curse. It's good to acknowledge… — William Boyd Happiness Copy Share Image
“I may be a shit writer,’ I remember him saying once, ‘but I’m richer than any of the good ones.” — William Boyd Money Copy Share Image
“Are our lives just the aggregate of the lies we've told? ('Lives' - the 'v' is silent.)” — William Boyd Lies Copy Share Image
“Everything in life is a bit odd, when you come to think of it.” — William Boyd Life Copy Share Image
“It amazes me what compromises we happily live with. We limp along, patching up, improvising.” — William Boyd Compromise Copy Share Image
My novels are often about people who are in love or attracted to each other. — William Boyd About Copy Share Image
We keep a journal to entrap that collection of selves that forms us, the individual human being. — William Boyd Collections Copy Share Image
I have to start my real life soon, before I die of boredom and frustration. — William Boyd Before i die Copy Share Image
To live as an artist requires hard work or some extraordinary good fortune to come your way. — William Boyd Art Copy Share Image
There are things in life we don't understand, and when we meet them, all we can do is let them alone. — William Boyd Life Copy Share Image
“We all see the world differently from each other; we all have unique vision.” — William Boyd Differently Copy Share Image
“Because it seems to me that to be human you have to be able to compromise.” — William Boyd Able Copy Share Image
“we think we understand all about the human body but actually we know very little.” — William Boyd Human body Copy Share Image
