The increasingly cynical court thought Arthur, "hypocritical, as all decent men must be if you assume decency cannot exist.

— T.H. White

Their mother is Athene, the goddess of wisdom, and, although they are often ready to play the buffoon to amuse you, such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise.

— T.H. White

The only way I can keep clear of force is by justice. Far from being willing to execute his enemies, a real king must be willing to execute his friends.

— T.H. White

The race will find that capitalists and communists modify themselves so much during the ages that they end by being indistinguishable as democrats...

— T.H. White

There are no boundaries among the geese. How can you have boundaries if you fly?

— T.H. White

There is one fairly good reason for fighting - and that is, if the other man starts it. You see, wars are a great wickedness, perhaps the greatest wickedness of a wicked species. They are so wicked that they must not be allowed. When you can be perfectly certain that the other man started them, then is the time when you might have a sort of duty to stop them.

— T.H. White

There were thousands of brown books in leather bindings, some chained to the bookshelves and others propped against each other as if they had had too much to drink and did not really trust themselves. These gave out a smell of must and solid brownness which was most secure.

— T.H. White

These marvels were great and comfortable ones, but in the old England there was a greater still. The weather behaved itself. In the spring all the little flowers came out obediently in the heads, and the dew sparkled, and the birds sang; in the summer it was beautifully hot for no less than four months, and, if it did rain just enough for agricultural purposes, they managed to arrange it so that it rained while you were in bed; in the autumn the leaves flamed and rattled before the west winds, tempering their sad adieu with glory; and in the winter, which was confined by statute to two months, the snow lay evenly, three feet thick, but never turned into slush.

— T.H. White

Those who lived by the sword were forced to die by it.

— T.H. White

War is like a fire. One man may start it, but it will spread all over. It is not about one thing in particular.

— T.H. White