Look, Miranda, he said, those twenty long years that lie between you and me. I've more knowledge of life than you, I've lived more and betrayed more and seen more betrayed. At your age one is bursting with ideals. You think that because I can sometimes see what's trivial and what's important in art that I ought to be more virtuous. But I don't want to be virtuous. My charm (if there is any) for you is simply frankness. And experience. Not goodness. I'm not a good man. Perhaps morally I'm younger even than you are. Can you understand that?
About This Quote
About John Fowles, The Collector
John Fowles, The Collector.
Themes
- Art — Creativity, expression, and the role of art in society
- Experience — Learning through living, doing, and facing the world
- Knowledge — The pursuit of learning, understanding, and intellectual growth
- Life — Reflections on the meaning, challenges, and beauty of life