O plunge your hands in water, Plunge them in up to the wrist; Stare, stare in the basin And wonder what you've missed.
W.H. Auden
Introspection, Regret, Water Symbolism, Self-reflection, Missed Opportunities
W.H. Auden’s Quotes On Topics
Literary Biography | Dreams | Integrity | Development | Aging | Vulnerability | Ultimatum | Literary Criticism | Creativity | Leisure | Unconscious | Foreign Policy | Admiration | Contemplation | Mortality | Domestic Imagery | Production | Honor | Passion | Fate | More
More W.H. Auden Quotes
“If age, which is certainly Just as wicked as youth, look any wiser, It is only that youth is still able to believe It will get away with anything, while age Knows only too well that it has got away with nothing.” W.H. Auden
Age, Youth, Wisdom, Experience, Disillusionment
W.H. Auden Age, Youth, Wisdom, Experience, Disillusionment“It's frightening how easy it is to commit murder in America. Just a drink too much. I can see myself doing it. In England, one feels all the social restraints holding one back. But here, anything can happen.” W.H. Auden
Violence, America, Cultural Differences, Social Restraints, Potential For Evil
W.H. Auden Violence, America, Cultural Differences, Social Restraints, Potential For Evil“A professor is a man who tells you how to solve problems which would never have arisen if you had not met him.” W.H. Auden
Education, Academia, Irony, Problem-solving, Intellectual Criticism
W.H. Auden Education, Academia, Irony, Problem-solving, Intellectual Criticism“Evil is always unspectacular and always human.” W.H. Auden
Evil, Human Nature, Banality, Morality, Philosophical Insight
W.H. Auden Evil, Human Nature, Banality, Morality, Philosophical Insight“Let me see what I wrote so I know what I think.” W.H. Auden
Writing, Thought, Self-discovery, Reflection, Creative Process
W.H. Auden Writing, Thought, Self-discovery, Reflection, Creative Process“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“Base words are uttered only by the base And can for such at once be understood; But noble platitudes – ah, there's a case Where the most careful scrutiny is needed To tell a voice that's genuinely good From one that's base but merely has succeeded.” W.H. Auden
Language, Morality, Discernment, Nobility, Deception
W.H. Auden Language, Morality, Discernment, Nobility, Deception“We were put on this Earth to help others. Why others were put here is beyond me.” W.H. Auden
Altruism, Purpose, Human Connection, Existential Questions, Moral Inquiry
W.H. Auden Altruism, Purpose, Human Connection, Existential Questions, Moral Inquiry“Every poet has his dream reader: mine keeps a look out for curious prosodic fauna like bacchics and choriambs.” W.H. Auden
Poetry, Readership, Prosody, Specificity, Literary Technique
W.H. Auden Poetry, Readership, Prosody, Specificity, Literary Technique“Pleasure is by no means an infallible critical guide, but it is the least fallible.” W.H. Auden
Pleasure, Criticism, Fallibility, Judgment, Aesthetic Guide
W.H. Auden Pleasure, Criticism, Fallibility, Judgment, Aesthetic Guide“Marriage is rarely bliss But, surely it would be worse As particles to pelt At thousands of miles per sec About a universe In which a lover's kiss Would either not be felt Or break the loved one's neck.” W.H. Auden
Marriage, Love, Physics, Cosmic Perspective, Human Relationships
W.H. Auden Marriage, Love, Physics, Cosmic Perspective, Human Relationships“The critical opinions of a writer should always be taken with a large grain of salt. For the most part, they are manifestations of his debate with himself as to what he should do next and what he should avoid.” W.H. Auden
Criticism, Writing, Self-reflection, Creative Process, Skepticism
W.H. Auden Criticism, Writing, Self-reflection, Creative Process, Skepticism“No being can make another one happy.” W.H. Auden
Happiness, Relationships, Self-reliance, Emotional Independence, Human Limitations
W.H. Auden Happiness, Relationships, Self-reliance, Emotional Independence, Human Limitations“No good opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.” W.H. Auden
Opera, Sensibility, Art, Emotion, Musical Theater
W.H. Auden Opera, Sensibility, Art, Emotion, Musical Theater“There is a difference between a villain and one who simply commits a crime. The villain is an extremely conscious person and commits a crim consciously, for its own sake.” W.H. Auden
Villainy, Crime, Consciousness, Morality, Intention
W.H. Auden Villainy, Crime, Consciousness, Morality, Intention“A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish.” W.H. Auden
Daydreams, Imagination, Consumption, Individuality, Mental Processes
W.H. Auden Daydreams, Imagination, Consumption, Individuality, Mental Processes“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