Dentist Quote by E.M. Forster
““Mr. Herriton, don’t – please, Mr. Herriton – a dentist. His father’s a dentist.” Philip gave a cry of personal disgust and pain. He shuddered all over, and edged away from his companion. A dentist! A dentist at Monteriano. A dentist in fairyland! False teeth and laughing gas and the tilting chair at a place which knew the Etruscan League, and the Pax Romana, and Alaric himself, and the Countess Matilda, and the Middle Ages, all fighting and holiness, and the Renaissance, all fighting and beauty! He thought of Lilia no longer. He was anxious for himself: he feared that Romance might die.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: A Passage to India, 1924
The narrator’s disgust at a dentist reflects broader anxieties about modernity, history, and personal fear of loss.
In simple terms: Dentist triggers fear of change and loss.
Key Takeaway
Confront fears linked to change and history.
Themes
fear
modernity
history
Mood
reflective
literary
Type
fiction
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- career
- health
- cultural adaptation
Key Concepts
anxiety
personal crisis
Questions to Reflect On
- What modern changes cause you anxiety?
- How do you face personal fears?
A Different Perspective
Fear can be irrational and paralyzing.
