A dead man who never caused others to die seldom rates a statue.
W.H. Auden
Legacy, Morality, Public Recognition, Death, Historical Commemoration
W.H. Auden’s Quotes On Topics
Philosophical Thought | Bureaucracy | Creation | Artistic Perception | Occupation | Societal Expectations | Societal Issues | Futility | Opera | Loneliness | Joy | Promises | Difficulty | Legacy | Human Need | Genealogy | Humility | Architecture | Aspiration | Human Achievement | More
More W.H. Auden Quotes
“Criticism should be a casual conversation.” W.H. Auden
Criticism, Conversation, Informality, Literary Discourse, Approachability
W.H. Auden Criticism, Conversation, Informality, Literary Discourse, Approachability“If there are any souls in hell, it is because that is where they insist on being.” W.H. Auden
Hell, Free Will, Damnation, Choice, Theological Insight
W.H. Auden Hell, Free Will, Damnation, Choice, Theological Insight“The definition of prayer is paying careful and concentrated attention to something other than your own constructions.” W.H. Auden
Prayer, Attention, Selflessness, Spirituality, Focus
W.H. Auden Prayer, Attention, Selflessness, Spirituality, Focus“The primary theme of literature is that of loneliness — that every human being is unique and alone.” W.H. Auden
Literature, Loneliness, Individuality, Human Condition, Artistic Themes
W.H. Auden Literature, Loneliness, Individuality, Human Condition, Artistic Themes“A poem is a verbal artifact which must be as skillfully and solidly constructed as a table or a motorcycle.” W.H. Auden
Poetry, Craftsmanship, Construction, Comparison, Artistic Skill
W.H. Auden Poetry, Craftsmanship, Construction, Comparison, Artistic Skill“Whatever the field under discussion, those who engage in debate must not only believe in each other's good faith, but also in their capacity to arrive at the truth.” W.H. Auden
Debate, Good Faith, Truth-seeking, Intellectual Honesty, Mutual Respect
W.H. Auden Debate, Good Faith, Truth-seeking, Intellectual Honesty, Mutual Respect“I know nothing, except what everyone knows – if there when Grace dances, I should dance.” W.H. Auden
Knowledge, Grace, Participation, Humility, Spiritual Insight
W.H. Auden Knowledge, Grace, Participation, Humility, Spiritual Insight“There are not many English novels which deserve to be called great: Parade's End is one of them.” W.H. Auden
Literature, Greatness, English Novels, Criticism, Praise
W.H. Auden Literature, Greatness, English Novels, Criticism, Praise“Every autobiography is concerned with two characters, a Don Quixote, the Ego, and a Sancho Panza, the Self.” W.H. Auden
Autobiography, Ego, Self, Literary Metaphor, Duality
W.H. Auden Autobiography, Ego, Self, Literary Metaphor, Duality“History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.” W.H. Auden
History, Questions, Anthropology, Sociology, Academic Disciplines
W.H. Auden History, Questions, Anthropology, Sociology, Academic Disciplines“A dead man who never caused others to die seldom rates a statue.” W.H. Auden
Legacy, Morality, Public Recognition, Death, Historical Commemoration
W.H. Auden Legacy, Morality, Public Recognition, Death, Historical Commemoration“A small grove massacred to the last ash, An oak with heart-rot, give away the show: This great society is going to smash; They cannot fool us with how fast they go, How much they cost each other and the gods. A culture is no better than its woods.” W.H. Auden
Nature, Society, Decline, Environmental Destruction, Cultural Criticism
W.H. Auden Nature, Society, Decline, Environmental Destruction, Cultural Criticism“All I have is a voice.” W.H. Auden
Identity, Self-expression, Simplicity, Artistic Essence, Communication
W.H. Auden Identity, Self-expression, Simplicity, Artistic Essence, Communication“Our sufferings and weaknesses, in so far as they are personal, are of no literary interest whatsoever. They are only interesting in so far as we can see them as typical of the human condition.” W.H. Auden
Literature, Suffering, Human Condition, Universality, Artistic Relevance
W.H. Auden Literature, Suffering, Human Condition, Universality, Artistic Relevance“A god who is both self-sufficient and content to remain so could not interest us enough to raise the question of his existence.” W.H. Auden
Theology, Divine Nature, Human Interest, Existence, Philosophical Inquiry
W.H. Auden Theology, Divine Nature, Human Interest, Existence, Philosophical Inquiry“A false enchantment can all too easily last a lifetime.” W.H. Auden
Illusion, Enchantment, Permanence, Human Experience, Disillusionment
W.H. Auden Illusion, Enchantment, Permanence, Human Experience, Disillusionment“The identification of fantasy is always an attempt to avoid one’s own suffering: the identification of art is the sharing in the suffering of another.” W.H. Auden
Fantasy, Art, Empathy, Suffering, Human Connection
W.H. Auden Fantasy, Art, Empathy, Suffering, Human Connection“Does God judge us by appearances? I Suspect that He does.” W.H. Auden
God, Judgment, Appearances, Suspicion, Human Nature
W.H. Auden God, Judgment, Appearances, Suspicion, Human Nature