Muriel Spark Quotes

Most marriages, where both or one is an artist, are rickety. Most marriages of this kind comprise one failed artist.

The dedication of an artist involves willing oblivion to everybody else while the art is being practised, and for the hours ambiguous to it.

I believe I have liberated the novel in many ways, showing how anything whatsoever can be narrated, including sheer damn cheek. I think I have opened doors and windows in the mind, and challenged fears – especially the most inhibiting fears about what a novel should be.

Writing a novel you have to be quite aware that what you are writing is not all true. Such a character did not cross the road at such a time; this is not true.

Beware of men bearing flowers.

Well, it’s about everything in particular, isn’t it ?

Every communist has a fascist frown, every fascist a communist smile.

A nice girl should only fall in love once in her life.

All the nice people were poor; at least, that was a general axiom, the best of the rich being poor in spirit.

‘Whoever has opened the window has opened it too wide,’ said Miss Brodie. ‘Six inches is perfectly adequate. More is vulgar.’

Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life.

One’s prime is elusive. You little girls, when you grow up, must be on the alert to recognise your prime at whatever time of your life it may occur. You must live it to the full.

I am putting old heads on your young shoulders…all my pupils are the creme de la creme.

She doesn’t have anything to do with youth clubs. There are classes within classes in Peckham.

A short neck denotes a good mind… You see, the messages go quicker to the brain because they’ve shorter to go.

Selwyn Mac Gregor, the nicest boy who ever committed the sin of whisky.

The one certain way for a woman to hold a man is to leave him for religion.