T. H. White Quotes

It seems, in tragedy, that innocence is not enough.

I incline my agreement with Toirdealbhach,' said Gareth. 'After all, what is the good of killing poor kerns who do not know anything? It would be much better for the people who are angry to fight each other themselves, knight against knight.'

'But you could not have any wars at all, like that,' exclaimed Gaheris.

'It would be absurd,' said Gawaine. 'You must have people, galore of people, in a war.'

'Otherwise you could not kill them,' explained Agravaine.

Something about doing a hateful and dangerous action for the sake of decency — for they knew that the fight was to be fought in blood and death without reward. They would get nothing but the unmarketable conscience of having done what they ought to do in spite of fear — something which wicked people have often debased by calling it glory with too much sentiment, but which is glory all the same.

Life is too bitter already, without territories and wars and noble feuds.

Wrongs have to be redressed by reason, not by force.

An ordinary fellow, who did not spend half his life torturing himself by trying to discover what was right so as to conquer his inclination towards what was wrong, might have cut the knot which brought their ruin.

Ought to be havin’ a first-rate eddication, at their age. When I was their age I was doin’ all this Latin and stuff

"If I were to be made a knight," said the Wart, staring dreamily into the fire, "I should insist on doing my vigil by myself, as Hob does with his hawks, and I should pray to God to let me encounter all the evil in the world in my own person, so that if I conquered there would be none left, and, if I were defeated, I would be the one to suffer for it."

"That would be extremely presumptuous of you," said Merlyn, "and you would be conquered, and you would suffer for it."

"I shouldn't mind."

"Wouldn't you? Wait till it happens and see."

"Why do people not think, when they are grown up, as I do when I am young?"

"Oh dear," said Merlyn. '"You are making me feel confused. Suppose you wait till you are grown up and know the reason?"

"I don't think that is an answer at all," replied the Wart, justly.

Merlyn wrung his hands.

"Well, anyway," he said, "suppose they did not let you stand against all the evil in the world?"

"I could ask," said the Wart.

"You could ask," repeated Merlyn.

He thrust the end of his beard into his mouth, stared tragically into the fire, and began to munch it fiercely.

He may even have felt that God needed him more than Guenever did.

Snylrem stnemilpmoc ot enutpen dna lliw eh yldnik tpecca siht yob sa a hsif?

It is good to put your life in other people's hands.

Lancelot tried to have a Word. His Word was valuable to him not only because he was good, but also because he was bad. It is the bad people who need to have principles to restrain them.

A fortnight after the Winchester tournament, while Elaine nursed her hero back to life, Guenever was having a scene with Sir Bors at court. Being a woman-hater, Bors always had instructive scenes with women. He said what he thought, and they said what they thought, and neither of them understood the other a bit.

Grown-ups have developed an unpleasant habit of comforting themselves for their degradation by pretending that children are childish.

The once and future king.