If you are drawn to thoughtful commentary on literature, faith, and modern society, exploring A. N. Wilson Quotes offers a rich intellectual experience. A. N. Wilson is one of Britain’s most respected biographers, novelists, and cultural critics. Known for his sharp analysis and engaging prose, Wilson has written extensively on history, religion, and prominent literary figures. His words combine wit, skepticism, and deep reflection, making A. N. Wilson Quotes both stimulating and timeless.
Over the decades, Wilson has authored acclaimed biographies of figures such as Charles Dickens and Leo Tolstoy, along with works exploring Christianity and secular thought. These intellectual pursuits shape the themes found in A. N. Wilson Quotes, which often question assumptions and invite readers to reconsider established narratives. His perspective is neither simplistic nor dogmatic; instead, it encourages curiosity and independent thinking.
One of the defining qualities of A. N. Wilson Quotes is their balance between tradition and critique. While he deeply appreciates literary heritage and religious history, he also challenges institutions and cultural norms with reasoned argument. This dual approach resonates strongly with readers who value nuanced debate over polarized opinions. His reflections on belief, doubt, and the evolution of society remain especially relevant in a rapidly changing world.
Beyond biography and theology, Wilson’s commentary on contemporary culture highlights the complexities of identity, morality, and intellectual freedom. A. N. Wilson Quotes often reveal his belief that literature and history are not static relics but living conversations that shape how we understand ourselves today. His insights appeal to students, scholars, writers, and anyone who enjoys thoughtful discourse.
Whether you are exploring literary criticism, seeking insight into religious thought, or simply looking for articulate reflections on modern life, discovering A. N. Wilson Quotes can broaden your perspective. In the sections ahead, you will find a curated collection of quotes that showcase his wit, intellectual depth, and enduring contribution to literature and cultural commentary.
A. N. Wilson Quotes on Literature and the Power of Storytelling
“Anti-Semitism is extremely common.” – A. N. Wilson
“A busybody’s work is never done.” – A. N. Wilson
“My kind publishers, Toby Mundy and Margaret Stead of Atlantic Books, have commissioned me to write the life of Queen Victoria.” – A. N. Wilson
“Reading about Queen Victoria has been a passion of mine since, as a child, I came across Laurence Housman’s play ‘Happy and Glorious,’ with its Ernest Shepard illustrations.” – A. N. Wilson
“There is no doubt that, since 1977 and the launch of Apple II – the first computer it produced for the mass market – many things which used to be done on paper, or on the telephone, have been done easier and faster on a screen.” – A. N. Wilson
“When Christians start thinking about Jesus, things start breaking down, they lose their faith. It’s perfectly possible to go to church every Sunday and not ask any questions, just because you like it as a way of life. They fear that if they ask questions they’ll lose their Christ, the very linchpin of their religion.” – A. N. Wilson
“The scribbler’s life is never done.” – A. N. Wilson
“The latest research has revealed that women have a higher IQ than men.” –
“I think I became a Catholic to annoy my father.” – A. N. Wilson
“I’m starting to realize that people are beginning to want to know about me. It’s a jolly strange idea.” – A. N. Wilson
A. N. Wilson Quotes About Faith, Doubt, and Religion
“If you read about Mussolini or Stalin or some of these other great monsters of history, they were at it all the time, that they were getting up in the morning very early. They were physically very active. They didn’t eat lunch.” – A. N. Wilson
“Watching a whole cluster of friends, and my own mother, die over quite a short space of time convinced me that purely materialist ‘explanations’ for our mysterious human existence simply won’t do – on an intellectual level.” – A. N. Wilson
“I believe the collapse of the House of Windsor is tied in with the collapse of the Church of England.” – A. N. Wilson
“I should prefer to have a politician who regularly went to a massage parlour than one who promised a laptop computer for every teacher.” – A. N. Wilson
“I wanted passionately to be a priest.” – A. N. Wilson
“The death of any man aged 56 is very sad for his widow and family. And no one would deny that Steve Jobs was a brilliant and highly innovative technician, with great business flair and marketing ability.” – A. N. Wilson
“I think one of the very frightening things about the regime of the National Socialists is that it made people happy.” – A. N. Wilson
“‘In Memoriam’ has been my companion for all my grownup life.” – A. N. Wilson
“If only Queen Elizabeth II had the intellectual, political and linguistic skills of Queen Elizabeth I, many people would support giving her some of the powers of an elected president.” – A. N. Wilson
“I’ve got nothing very original to say myself.” – A. N. Wilson
Insightful A. N. Wilson Quotes on History and Culture
“It seems astonishing to be paid for indulging in pure pleasure. For me to go to Coburg is rather as if a trainspotter was sent for a few weeks to Swindon or a chocoholic asked on holiday by Green and Black.” – A. N. Wilson
“I don’t write books inadvertently.” – A. N. Wilson
“Brain power improves by brain use, just as our bodily strength grows with exercise. And there is no doubt that a large proportion of the female population, from school days to late middle age, now have very complicated lives indeed.” – A. N. Wilson
“Fear of death has never played a large part in my consciousness – perhaps unimaginative of me.” – A. N. Wilson
“It would no doubt be very sentimental to argue – but I would argue it nevertheless – that the peculiar combination of joy and sadness in bell music – both of clock chimes, and of change-ringing – is very typical of England. It is of a piece with the irony in which English people habitually address one another.” – A. N. Wilson
“Personally, I think universities are finished. So much rubbish gets taught.” – A. N. Wilson
“It is eerie being all but alone in Westminster Abbey. Without the tourists, there are only the dead, many of them kings and queens. They speak powerfully and put my thoughts into vivid perspective.” – A. N. Wilson
“The United States is the ultimate land of optimistic promise, but it also gave birth to quintessentially pessimistic tragedy: ‘Moby-Dick.'” – A. N. Wilson
“Iris Murdoch did influence my early novels very much, and influence is never entirely good.” – A. N. Wilson
“People become dons because they are incapable of doing anything else in life.” – A. N. Wilson
A. N. Wilson Quotes on Modern Society and Intellectual Freedom
“I think that if you can’t be loyal to the Church, it’s best to get out.” – A. N. Wilson
“It is remarkable how easily children and grown-ups adapt to living in a dictatorship organised by lunatics.” – A. N. Wilson
“The fact that logic cannot satisfy us awakens an almost insatiable hunger for the irrational.” – A. N. Wilson
“The Royal Family are not like you and me. They live in houses so big that you can walk round all day and never need to meet your spouse. The Queen and Prince Philip have never shared a bedroom in their lives. They don’t even have breakfast together.” – A. N. Wilson
“The really clever people now want to be lawyers or journalists.” – A. N. Wilson
“I don’t think you can tell the objective truth about a person. That’s why people write novels.” – A. N. Wilson
“Everyone writes in Tolstoy’s shadow, whether one feels oneself to be Tolstoyan or not.” – A. N. Wilson
“I very much dislike the intolerance and moralism of many Christians, and feel more sympathy with Honest Doubters than with them.” – A. N. Wilson
“Like many people in Britain, I have an affectionate respect for the Queen, and am surprised that I should be having such republican thoughts.” – A. N. Wilson
“I’m like Jane Austen – I work on the corner of the dining table.” – A. N. Wilson
Thought-Provoking A. N. Wilson Quotes from His Biographies
“I am shy to admit that I have followed the advice given all those years ago by a wise archbishop to a bewildered young man: that moments of unbelief ‘don’t matter,’ that if you return to a practice of the faith, faith will return.” – A. N. Wilson
“If you imagine writing 1,000 words a day, which most journalists do, that would be a very long book a year. I don’t manage nearly that… but I have published slightly too much recently.” – A. N. Wilson
“Of all liars the most arrogant are biographers: those who would have us believe, having surveyed a few boxes full of letters, diaries, bank statements and photographs, that they can play at the recording angel and tell the whole truth about another human life.” – A. N. Wilson
“I’ve never had a study in my life. I’m like Jane Austen – I work on the corner of the dining table.” – A. N. Wilson
“In the past, I used to counter any such notions by asking myself: ‘Would you really want President Hattersley?’ I now find that possibility rather cheers me up. With his chubby, Dickensian features and his knowledge of T.H. Green and other harmless leftish political classics, Hattersley might not be such a bad thing after all.” – A. N. Wilson
“When I think about atheist friends, including my father, they seem to me like people who have no ear for music, or who have never been in love.” – A. N. Wilson
“On the rare occasions when I spend a night in Oxford, the keeping of the hours by the clock towers in New College, and Merton, and the great booming of Tom tolling 101 times at 9 pm at Christ Church are inextricably interwoven with memories and regrets and lost joys. The sound almost sends me mad, so intense are the feelings it evokes.” – A. N. Wilson
“I had lost faith in biography.” – A. N. Wilson
“I’m boring. My beliefs are neither here nor there.” – A. N. Wilson
“I might be deceiving myself but I do not think that I do have an inordinate fear of death.” – A. N. Wilson
Best A. N. Wilson Quotes for Writers and Critical Thinkers
“IQ in general has improved since tests first began. Psychologists think that this is because modern life becomes ever more complicated.” – A. N. Wilson
“Since Einstein developed his theory of relativity, and Rutherford and Bohr revolutionized physics, our picture of the world has radically changed.” – A. N. Wilson
“Tennyson seems to be the patron saint of the wishy washies, which is perhaps why I admire him so much, not only as a poet, but as a man.” – A. N. Wilson
“The approach of death certainly concentrates the mind.” – A. N. Wilson
“Nearly all monster stories depend for their success on Jack killing the Giant, Beowulf or St. George slaying the Dragon, Harry Potter triumphing over the basilisk. That is their inner grammar, and the whole shape of the story leads towards it.” – A. N. Wilson
“I do not find it easy to articulate thoughts about religion. I remain the sort of person who turns off ‘Thought for the Day’ when it comes on the radio.” – A. N. Wilson
“If you know somebody is going to be awfully annoyed by something you write, that’s obviously very satisfying, and if they howl with rage or cry, that’s honey.” – A. N. Wilson
“I suppose if I’d got a brilliant first and done research I might still be a don today, but I hope not. People become dons because they are incapable of doing anything else in life.” – A. N. Wilson
“Truth comes to us mediated by human love.” – A. N. Wilson
“It is the woman – nearly always – in spite of all the advances of modern feminism, who still takes responsibility for the bulk of the chores, as well as doing her paid job. This is true even in households where men try to be unselfish and to do their share.” – A. N. Wilson