“The pleasure of reading is doubled when one lives with another who shares the same books.”

Widely attributed to Larkin, but the precise source wording is difficult to verify · Essay / prose writing

• Friendship
• Poetry

“I can’t understand why people are so keen to put the clock back. What’s the point of going back to a time when you didn’t know as much?”

A defence of progress and a scepticism about romanticising the past · Interview

• Time
• Truth

“I think that writing is rather like driving: you can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

Frequently attributed to Larkin, though the primary source is not consistently identified · Interview / conversation

• Art
• Poetry