And none will hear the postman’s knock Without a quickening of the heart. For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
W.H. Auden
Mortality, Memory, Existence, Significance, Human Connection
W.H. Auden’s Quotes On Topics
Masks | Literary Admiration | Belief | Poetic Expression | Discovery | Discontent | Quantity | Spirituality | Rest | Problem-solving | Ego | Self-destruction | Idleness | Common Sense | Secrets | Human Relationships | Expression | Potential | Domestic Imagery | Place | More
More W.H. Auden Quotes
“Human language is mythological and metaphorical by nature.” W.H. Auden
Language, Mythology, Metaphor, Human Nature, Communication
W.H. Auden Language, Mythology, Metaphor, Human Nature, Communication“Geniuses are the luckiest of mortals because what they must do is the same as what they most want to do.” W.H. Auden
Genius, Passion, Vocation, Fulfillment, Talent
W.H. Auden Genius, Passion, Vocation, Fulfillment, Talent“The wolves will get you if the moths won't.” W.H. Auden
Danger, Inevitability, Metaphor, Predation, Vulnerability
W.H. Auden Danger, Inevitability, Metaphor, Predation, Vulnerability“Far from his illness The wolves ran on through the evergreen forests, The peasant river was untempted by the fashionable quays; By mourning tongues The death of the poet was kept from his poems.” W.H. Auden
Nature, Death, Poetry, Continuity, Contrast
W.H. Auden Nature, Death, Poetry, Continuity, Contrast“Cats can be very funny, and have the oddest ways of showing they’re glad to see you...” W.H. Auden
Cats, Humor, Affection, Companionship, Animal Behavior
W.H. Auden Cats, Humor, Affection, Companionship, Animal Behavior“All the literati keep An imaginary friend.” W.H. Auden
Writers, Imagination, Companionship, Creativity, Solitude
W.H. Auden Writers, Imagination, Companionship, Creativity, Solitude“There are three cardinal rules – don't take somebody else's boyfriend unless you've been specifically invited to do so, don't take a drink without being asked, and keep a scrupulous accounting in financial matters.” W.H. Auden
Etiquette, Relationships, Alcohol, Finance, Social Rules
W.H. Auden Etiquette, Relationships, Alcohol, Finance, Social Rules“Hemingway is terribly limited. His technique is good for short stories, for people who meet once in a bar very late at night, but do not enter into relations. But not for the novel.” W.H. Auden
Literary Criticism, Hemingway, Writing Technique, Relationships, Novel Writing
W.H. Auden Literary Criticism, Hemingway, Writing Technique, Relationships, Novel Writing“I don't get acting jobs because of my looks.” W.H. Auden
Acting, Appearance, Self-deprecation, Career, Humor
W.H. Auden Acting, Appearance, Self-deprecation, Career, Humor“We cannot be deaf to the question: 'Do I love this world so well that I have to know how it ends?” W.H. Auden
World, Love, Curiosity, Existential Questions, Environmental Concern
W.H. Auden World, Love, Curiosity, Existential Questions, Environmental Concern“We honor founders of these starving cities, Whose honor is the image of our sorrow.” W.H. Auden
Urban Life, Poverty, Honor, Memory, Cultural Legacy
W.H. Auden Urban Life, Poverty, Honor, Memory, Cultural Legacy“Money is the necessity that frees us from necessity. Of all novelists in any country, Trollope best understands the role of money. Compared with him even Balzac is a romantic.” W.H. Auden
Money, Freedom, Literature, Realism, Financial Insight
W.H. Auden Money, Freedom, Literature, Realism, Financial Insight“The dead look so terribly dead when they're dead.” W.H. Auden
Death, Mortality, Observation, Finality, Human Perception
W.H. Auden Death, Mortality, Observation, Finality, Human Perception“Who on earth invented the silly convention that it is boring or impolite to talk shop? Nothing is more interesting to listen to, especially if the shop is not one's own.” W.H. Auden
Conversation, Interests, Social Conventions, Curiosity, Work Discussions
W.H. Auden Conversation, Interests, Social Conventions, Curiosity, Work Discussions“Some writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim at, with originality, which they should never bother about.” W.H. Auden
Authenticity, Originality, Writing, Artistic Integrity, Creative Advice
W.H. Auden Authenticity, Originality, Writing, Artistic Integrity, Creative Advice“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“Fate succumbs many a species: one alone jeopardises itself.” W.H. Auden
Fate, Humanity, Self-destruction, Uniqueness, Responsibility
W.H. Auden Fate, Humanity, Self-destruction, Uniqueness, Responsibility“Music can be made anywhere, is invisible and does not smell.” W.H. Auden
Music, Creativity, Accessibility, Art, Sensory Experience
W.H. Auden Music, Creativity, Accessibility, Art, Sensory Experience