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’s Quotes On Topics
Progress | Personal Freedom | Aesthetic Guide | Personal Experience | Laughter | Predation | Character | Grace | Quantity | Professionalism | Rules | Ownership | Moral Conflict | Alienation | Biography | Revenge | Injustice | Readers | Foreboding | Consumption | More
More W.H. Auden Quotes
“As a rule, it was the pleasure-haters who became unjust.” W.H. Auden
Pleasure, Injustice, Morality, Human Nature, Judgment
W.H. Auden Pleasure, Injustice, Morality, Human Nature, Judgment“The friends who met here and embraced are gone, Each to his own mistake;.” W.H. Auden
Friendship, Separation, Mistakes, Individual Paths, Transience
W.H. Auden Friendship, Separation, Mistakes, Individual Paths, Transience“In addition to English, at least one ancient language, probably Greek or Hebrew, and two modern languages would be required.” W.H. Auden
Education, Languages, Requirements, Classical Learning, Modern Skills
W.H. Auden Education, Languages, Requirements, Classical Learning, Modern Skills“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 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“Oh, how I wish that Orwell were still alive, so that I could read his comments on contemporary events!” W.H. Auden
Literary Admiration, Commentary, Relevance, Contemporary Issues, Nostalgia
W.H. Auden Literary Admiration, Commentary, Relevance, Contemporary Issues, Nostalgia“Art is our chief means of breaking bread with the dead.” W.H. Auden
Art, Connection, History, Mortality, Cultural Continuity
W.H. Auden Art, Connection, History, Mortality, Cultural Continuity“Be subtle, various, ornamental, clever, And do not listen to those critics ever Whose crude provincial gullets crave in books Plain cooking made still plainer by plain cooks.” W.H. Auden
Writing Advice, Criticism, Sophistication, Artistic Complexity, Literary Taste
W.H. Auden Writing Advice, Criticism, Sophistication, Artistic Complexity, Literary Taste“My face looks like a wedding-cake left out in the rain.” W.H. Auden
Self-deprecation, Aging, Metaphor, Appearance, Humor
W.H. Auden Self-deprecation, Aging, Metaphor, Appearance, Humor“Words are for those with promises to keep.” W.H. Auden
Words, Promises, Responsibility, Communication, Commitment
W.H. Auden Words, Promises, Responsibility, Communication, Commitment“Desire, even in its wildest tantrums, can neither persuade me it is love nor stop me from wishing it were.” W.H. Auden
Desire, Love, Self-awareness, Emotional Complexity, Wishful Thinking
W.H. Auden Desire, Love, Self-awareness, Emotional Complexity, Wishful Thinking“Detective stories have nothing to do with works of art.” W.H. Auden
Detective Fiction, Art, Literary Criticism, Genre Distinction, Value Judgment
W.H. Auden Detective Fiction, Art, Literary Criticism, Genre Distinction, Value Judgment“Drama began as the act of a whole community. Ideally, there would be no speculators. In practice, every member of the audience should feel like an understudy.” W.H. Auden
Drama, Community, Participation, Audience, Ideal Theater
W.H. Auden Drama, Community, Participation, Audience, Ideal Theater“A vice in common can be the ground of a friendship but not a virtue in common. X and Y may be friends because they are both drunkards or womanizers but, if they are both sober and chaste, they are friends for some other reason.” W.H. Auden
Friendship, Vice, Virtue, Human Nature, Relationships
W.H. Auden Friendship, Vice, Virtue, Human Nature, Relationships“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“Like everything which is not the involuntary result of fleeting emotion but the creation of time and will, any marriage, happy or unhappy, is infinitely more interesting than any romance, however passionate.” W.H. Auden
Marriage, Romance, Commitment, Time, Emotional Complexity
W.H. Auden Marriage, Romance, Commitment, Time, Emotional Complexity“Yet no one hears his own remarks as prose.” W.H. Auden
Self-perception, Communication, Prose, Unconscious Expression, Language
W.H. Auden Self-perception, Communication, Prose, Unconscious Expression, Language