Artistic truth is for me literally the highest truth: art may seize the essence of persons and movements no less truly, and certainly far more vitally, than a scientific generalization unifies a chaos of phenomena. Time and Space are only the conditions through which spiritual facts struggle. Hence I have here and there permitted myself liberties with these categories.

Israel Zangwill

Categorized in : Art Spiritual Struggle

The Past: Our cradle, not our prison; there is danger as well as appeal in its glamour. The past is for inspiration, not imitation, for continuation, not repetition.

Israel Zangwill

forgiveness memories life

The past is for inspiration, not imitation, for continuation, not repetition.

Israel Zangwill

imitation inspirational past

As soon as you tolerate something, it becomes bearable, and before long it will become common.

Israel Zangwill

bearable common long

America is God's Crucible, the great Melting-Pot where all the races of Europe are melting and re-forming!

Israel Zangwill

race europe america

You, the Spirit of the Settlement! ... Not understand that America is God's crucible, the great melting-pot where all the races of Europe are melting and re-forming! Here, you stand, good folk, think I, when I see them at Ellis Island, here you stand in your fifty groups, with your fifty languages and histories, and your fifty blood hatreds and rivalries.

Israel Zangwill

race islands thinking

You should examine yourself daily. If you find faults, you should correct them. When you find none, you should try even harder.

Israel Zangwill

self-respect faults trying

A man likes his wife to be just clever enough to appreciate his cleverness, and just stupid enough to admire it.

Israel Zangwill

stupid clever silly

No, the real American has not yet arrived. He is only in the Crucible, I tell you - he will be the fusion of all races, perhaps the coming superman.

Israel Zangwill

real race america

There never was an age in which so many people were able to write badly.

Israel Zangwill

age writing people

It takes two men to make one brother.

Israel Zangwill

sibling brother motivational

Take from me the hope that I can change the future and you will send me mad.

Israel Zangwill

mad i-can change

There are three reasons why men of genius have long hair. One is, that they forget it is growing. The second is, that they like it. The third is, that it comes cheaper; they wear it long for the same reason they wear their hats long.

Israel Zangwill

hair men long

Until mankind heeds the message on the Hebrew trumpet blown, and the faith of the whole world's people is the faith that is our own.

Israel Zangwill

messages people world

The way Bernard Shaw believes in himself is very refreshing in these atheistic days when so many people believe in no God at all.

Israel Zangwill

believe history people

You cannot be anything if you want to be everything. But if you are content to be something, you may by analogy be many things.

Israel Zangwill

analogies wise may

Selfishness is the only real atheism.

Israel Zangwill

selfishness atheism real

The law of dislike for the unlike will always prevail. And whereas the unlike is normally situated at a safe distance, the Jews bring the unlike into the heart of every milieu, and must there defend a frontier line as large as the world.

Israel Zangwill

distance law heart

Selfishness is the only real atheism; aspiration, unselfishness, the only real religion.

Israel Zangwill

atheism real religion

What clinical lectures I will give in heaven, demonstrating the ignorance of doctors!

Israel Zangwill

doctors ignorance giving

Dead men hear no tales; posthumous fame is an Irish bull.

Israel Zangwill

bulls fame men