H.M. Forester > Quotes

“There are universal laws at work, even here. The Law of Attraction; the Law of Correspondence; and the Law of Karma. That is: like attracts like; as within, so without; and what goes around comes around.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“I? This is the very root of all evil.”
― H.M. Forester, The Dissidents

“There is no such thing as 'just one last cigarette' – except the last cigarette that you've already had.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“We're all teased or pressured into conforming to the all-levelling social norms of mediocrity.”
― H.M. Forester

“Smoking is suicide by instalments.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“There's nowhere else to escape to ... Except in a wooden box, that is.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“Now, sorcery rules the world. Of course, most don't call it sorcery; indeed, many would be horrified by such a notion. Instead, they use words like ideology, politics, defence, security, patriotism, commerce, industry, marketing, consumerism and belief. But where there is power-seeking, especially power over others or for oneself, though also over oneself, and be it wittingly or unwittingly conjured up, make no mistake: there is sorcery afoot. It just comes in different shades and colours, that's all.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“The worst of all was to be faced with the interrogation technique of Thirty Seconds. The interrogator would say something and you had to respond quickly, without once repeating yourself or using the personal pronoun. Very few dissidents could last the full thirty seconds, and a refusal to comply was taken as equal proof of dissidence.”
― H.M. Forester, The Dissidents

“The use of drugs is not an effective means of facilitating real escape. It merely gives that erroneous and illusive impression. Well, illusive with an I and elusive with an E. At best, narcotics do no more than promote bonhomie and give you a temporary taste of what freedom might be like; and drugs take you into another sub-level of, or sub-culture in, the same old game. The same old game, but with additional consequences. And at worst, well ... suffice it to say that you really, really do not want to go there.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“A motto of many politicians, public servants and money bags: Ask not 'What can I do for you?' but 'What can I do you for?”
― H.M. Forester

“Real patience is not the same as waiting impatiently for something for a long time. Patience is having patience with patience.”
― H.M. Forester

“Why does there appear to be so little magic in the world these days? It is because people have stopped believing in it or lose touch with it as they grow up. It is because we have become so sophisticated and lost our ancient and natural roots. It is because religion, science and education have taught us that magic does not exist. That even supposing it does exist – which to many is far too big an 'if' – then it couldn't possibly work. Their self-fulfilling sophistry complete, they then turn round and say 'There you are you see, there is no magic in the world, just as we said.' And we and the world are all the poorer as a result of this. I mean, what are we left with? Santa, the Easter Bunny, Harry Potter and the Tooth Fairy.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“Their methods were especially crude and most of these former friends were now born again model citizens; lobotomized; or burnt out shells.”
― H.M. Forester, The Dissidents

“There comes a point when you stop thinking of you playing the game, and you simply become a part of – and merge into – and become lost in – the game.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“More recently, we’ve reached the lowest common denominator, and populism, politics and media have dispensed with old-fashioned values such as truth, honour and chivalry, to the point of arguing, in an Orwellian way, that “up is down”, “wrong is right”, and “truth is fake news”.”
― H.M. Forester, Secret Friends: The Ramblings of a Madman in Search of a Soul

“All you had to do was crack up and beg to see the Governor; grovel at his feet and admit to being a dissident; heartily repent your sins, and volunteer for elective brain surgery.”
― H.M. Forester, The Dissidents

“Sorcery rules the world. Of course, most don't call it sorcery; indeed, many would be horrified by such a notion.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“Of course the reason that the Authorities have banned the stuff is not so much the detrimental effect on one's health, however genuine that might be, but rather that those who regularly partake in the illicit herb tend to lose all interest in playing the game by other people's rules. And that is in direct contravention of the Commandments, the first of which is: Thou shalt play the Game by the rules; the second being: Thou shalt not drop out of the Game.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“Welcome to Level 2. Or, as it is sometimes affectionately referred to by the Friends: God's Little Joke.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“When it came to dealing with feral dissidents, there was only one unwritten law that superseded all others: "An' it secure a conviction, do what thou wilt.”
― H.M. Forester

“There really is more to this world than meets the casual or untutored eye.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“It’s not simply a matter of accumulating data points, though in the early stages there is a necessity to take the raw material on-board. If anything, rather than carrying a large inventory, knowledge arrives “just in time”, without the expensive overhead of warehousing, in response to the needs of time, place, people and circumstances.”
― H.M. Forester, Secret Friends: The Ramblings of a Madman in Search of a Soul

“Maybe like the never-ending stories within stories of the One Thousand and One Nights, life is dream within dream all the way through?”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“Hell, man. There you have it. I’ve told you about the locks and you have the keys – or if not you can fashion them. What more can you ask of me?”
― H.M. Forester, The Imaginal Veil

“Is that a banana in your lunch box, or are you just pleased to see me?”
― H.M. Forester, The Dissidents

“Yes, we are in a real pickle. Welcome to the pan-galactic insane asylum.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“Learning how to learn is all about the preliminary work of clearing the undergrowth, deadwood and detritus, and tilling the soil; preparing the ground for future growth, like a good gardener or farmer.”
― H.M. Forester, The Imaginal Veil

“An angry man will find himself in an angry world, and a swindler will find himself in a world of thieves whom he dare not trust. Like attracts and mirrors like.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons

“Creating distrust, division, confusion, and chaos, leading to massive societal dysfunction and collapse, is not a bug in the MAGA plan due to incompetence in personnel picks and policy: it’s a very deliberate design feature, and it will have dire global consequences.

And for accelerationists, evangelicals, fundamentalists, and Christian nationalists, it’s all a part of the big plan for the End Times.”
― H.M. Forester

“Red pill or blue pill? If only it were that simple. You've been watching the wrong movies.”
― H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons