Fear and love Quote by E. M. Forster
““Like many other who have lived long in a great capital, she had strong feelings about the various railway termini. They are our gates to the glorious and unknown. Through them we pass out into adventure and sunshine, to them, alas! we return. In Paddington all Cornwall is latent and the remoter west; down the inclines of Liverpool Street lie fenlands and the illimitable Broads; Scotland is through the pylons of Euston; Wessex behind the poised chaos of Waterloo. Italians realize this, as is natural; those of them who are so unfortunate as to serve as waiters in Berlin call the Anhalt Bahnhof the Stazione d’Italia, because by it they must return to their homes. And he is a chilly Londoner who does not endow his stations with some personality, and extend to them, however shyly, the emotions of fear and love.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: A Passage to India, 1924
The author likens railway stations to portals that lead travelers from familiar places to new adventures and back, assigning each station a symbolic emotional character.
In simple terms: Stations are gateways to adventure and return, each with its own feeling.
Key Takeaway
Travel through stations with curiosity and emotional awareness.
Themes
travel
adventure
place
emotion
identity
Mood
nostalgic
reflective
contemplative
Type
literary
observational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- commuting
- tourism
- migration
- personal journeys
- urban exploration
Key Concepts
symbolism
psychogeography
urban narrative
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you feel when you leave or return through a familiar place?
- What emotions do you associate with specific transit hubs?
A Different Perspective
Not all stations evoke strong emotions; some remain functional and impersonal.
