William Golding Quotes

The candle-buds opened their wide white flowers... Their scent spilled out into the air and took possession of the island.

The water rose further and dressed Simon's coarse hair with brightness. The line of his cheek silvered and the turn of his shoulder became sculptured marble...

They looked at each other, baffled, in love and hate.

The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. Once there was this and that; and now — and the ship had gone.

"They always been making trouble, haven't they?"
The voice came near his shoulder and sounded anxious.
"We can do without 'em. We'll be happier now, won't we?"

The Herr Doctor does not know about peoples.

Maybe, he said hesitantly, maybe there is a beast.
The assembly cried out savagely and Ralph stood up in amazement. You, Simon? You believe in this?
I don't know, said Simon. His heartbeats were choking him.
[...]
Ralph shouted. Hear him! He's got the conch!
What I mean is . . . maybe it's only us.
Nuts! That was from Piggy, shocked out of decorum.

We have to face it at last. We're not all human.

Bollocks to the rules!

¡Qué ilusión, pensar que la Fiera era algo que se podía cazar, matar!

"I'm scared of him," said Piggy, "and that's why I know him. If you're scared of someone you hate him but you can't stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he's alright really, an' then when you see him again; it's like asthma an' you can't breathe. I tell you what. He hates you too, Ralph —"
"Me? Why me?"
"I dunno. You got him over the fire; an' you're chief an' he isn't."
"But he's Jack Merridew!"
"I been in bed so much I done some thinking. I know about people. I know about me. And him. He can't hurt you: but if you're standing out of the way he'd hurt the next thing. And that's me."
"Piggy's right, Ralph. There's you and Jack. Go on being chief."

We're all mad, the whole damned race. We're wrapped in illusions, delusions, confusions about the penetrability of partitions, we're all mad and in solitary confinement.

Allí estaba el mundo deslumbrante de la caza, la táctica, la destreza y la alegría salvaje; y allí estaba también el mundo de las añoranzas y el sentido común desconcertado.

The half-shut eyes were dim with the infinite cynicism of adult life.

"-I got the conch!" — Piggy (in Lord of the Flies), attempting Democracy