Fate succumbs many a species: one alone jeopardises itself.
W.H. Auden
Fate, Humanity, Self-destruction, Uniqueness, Responsibility
W.H. Auden’s Quotes On Topics
Literary Biography | Commissioning | Everyday Objects | Sensory Experience | Artistic Immortality | Social Gatherings | Character | Self-awareness | Presence | Self-reliance | Artistic Complexity | Directness | Art | Human Condition | Taste | Creative Advice | Choices | Loyalty | Philosophical Thought | Inevitability | More
More W.H. Auden Quotes
“Every man carries with him through life a mirror, as unique and impossible to get rid of as his shadow.” W.H. Auden
Identity, Self-reflection, Individuality, Metaphor, Human Nature
W.H. Auden Identity, Self-reflection, Individuality, Metaphor, Human Nature“There was still gold and silver in the mountains, And hunger was a more immediate sorrow.” W.H. Auden
Wealth, Poverty, Priorities, Nature, Human Needs
W.H. Auden Wealth, Poverty, Priorities, Nature, Human Needs“History marches to the drum of a clear idea.” W.H. Auden
History, Ideas, Progress, Clarity, Metaphor
W.H. Auden History, Ideas, Progress, Clarity, Metaphor“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“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“But if a stranger in the train asks me my occupation, I never answer “writer” for fear that he may go on to ask me what I write, and to answer “poetry” would embarrass us both, for we both know that nobody can earn a living simply by writing poetry.” W.H. Auden
Writing, Identity, Poetry, Embarrassment, Livelihood
W.H. Auden Writing, Identity, Poetry, Embarrassment, Livelihood“Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.” W.H. Auden
Death, Metaphor, Tranquility Disrupted, Mortality, Poetic Imagery
W.H. Auden Death, Metaphor, Tranquility Disrupted, Mortality, Poetic Imagery“Sexual fidelity is more important in a homosexual relationship than in any other. In other relationships there are a variety of ties. But here, fidelity is the only bond.” W.H. Auden
Homosexuality, Fidelity, Relationships, Love, Commitment
W.H. Auden Homosexuality, Fidelity, Relationships, Love, Commitment“If a writer is not afraid of dying of exposure, he is an idiot.” W.H. Auden
Writing, Risk, Exposure, Bravery, Artistic Integrity
W.H. Auden Writing, Risk, Exposure, Bravery, Artistic Integrity“We do not change as we grow up. The difference between the child and the adult is that the former doesn't know who he is and the latter does.” W.H. Auden
Identity, Growth, Self-awareness, Childhood, Adulthood
W.H. Auden Identity, Growth, Self-awareness, Childhood, Adulthood“No poet or novelist wishes he were the only one who ever lived, but most of them wish they were the only one alive, and quite a number fondly believe their wish has been granted.” W.H. Auden
Creativity, Individuality, Longing, Literary Identity, Solitude
W.H. Auden Creativity, Individuality, Longing, Literary Identity, Solitude“In any first-class work of art, you can find passages that in themselves are extremely boring, but try to cut them out, as they are in an abridged edition, and you lose the life of the work. Don't think that art that is alive can remain on the same level of interest throughout – and the same is true of life.” W.H. Auden
Art, Boredom, Wholeness, Life, Artistic Integrity
W.H. Auden Art, Boredom, Wholeness, Life, Artistic Integrity“Only he who has taken up the cross of belief is a human being in the full sense of the word.” W.H. Auden
Belief, Humanity, Religion, Identity, Philosophical Statement
W.H. Auden Belief, Humanity, Religion, Identity, Philosophical Statement“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“Of all possible subjects, travel is the most difficult for an artist, as it is the easiest for a journalist.” W.H. Auden
Travel Writing, Art, Journalism, Difficulty, Perspective
W.H. Auden Travel Writing, Art, Journalism, Difficulty, Perspective