We English are good at forgiving our enemies; it releases us from the obligation of liking our friends.
Meaning of the quote
The quote means that English people are often quick to forgive those who have wronged them. This allows them to avoid having to truly like or care for their friends and family. In other words, it's easier to forgive someone who has hurt you than to put in the effort to truly connect with the people close to you.
More quotes from P. D. James
I believe that political correctness can be a form of linguistic fascism, and it sends shivers down the spine of my generation who went to war against fascism.
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What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.
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We English are good at forgiving our enemies; it releases us from the obligation of liking our friends.
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God gives every bird his worm, but He does not throw it into the nest.
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What a child doesn’t receive he can seldom later give.
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Human kindness is like a defective tap, the first gush may be impressive but the stream soon dries up.
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It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.
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There comes a time when every scientist, even God, has to write off an experiment.
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In 1930s mysteries, all sorts of motives were credible which aren’t credible today, especially motives of preventing guilty sexual secrets from coming out. Nowadays, people sell their guilty sexual secrets.
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