Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Angus Wilson, fully Sir Angus Frank Johnstone Wilson

English Novelist and Short-Story Writer

"All the seven deadly sins are self destroying, morbid appetites, but in their early stages at least, lust and gluttony, avarice and sloth know some gratification, while anger and pride have power, even though that power eventually destroys itself. Envy is impotent, numbed with fear, never ceasing in its appetite, and it knows no gratification, but endless self torment. It has the ugliness of a trapped rat, which gnaws its own foot in an effort to escape."

"Envy is impotent, numbed with fear, never ceasing in its appetite, and it knows no gratification, but endless self-torment. It has the ugliness of a trapped rat, which gnaws its own foot in an effort to escape."

"God knows how you Protestants can be expected to have any sense of direction,' she said. 'It's different with us. I haven't been to mass for years, I've got every mortal sin on my conscience, but I know when I'm doing wrong. I'm still a Catholic."

"The opportunities for heroism are limited in this kind of world the most people can do is sometimes not to be as weak as they've been at other times."

"All fiction for me is a kind of magic and trickery-a confidence trick, trying to make people believe something is true that isn't."

"Once a Catholic always a Catholic."

"I have no concern for the common man except that he should not be so common."