The United States is the ultimate land of optimistic promise, but it also gave birth to quintessentially pessimistic tragedy: ‘Moby-Dick.’ – A. N. Wilson
Fear of death has never played a large part in my consciousness – perhaps unimaginative of me. – A. N. Wilson
IQ in general has improved since tests first began. Psychologists think that this is because modern life becomes ever more complicated. – 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 might be deceiving myself but I do not think that I do have an inordinate fear of death. – 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
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
Iris Murdoch did influence my early novels very much, and influence is never entirely good. – 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
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
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
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
Everyone writes in Tolstoy’s shadow, whether one feels oneself to be Tolstoyan or not. – 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
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
I’m starting to realize that people are beginning to want to know about me. It’s a jolly strange idea. – A. N. Wilson
