The eye likes novelty, but the ear craves familiarity.
W.H. Auden
Perception, Novelty, Familiarity, Senses, Human Nature
W.H. Auden’s Quotes On Topics
Enjoyment | Violence | Truth-seeking | Growth | Development | Literary Pressure | Societal Impact | Societal Values | Writing | Aesthetic Guide | Unexpected Events | Life Philosophy | Decision-making | Life Changes | Silence | Blessing | Intellectuals | Passivity | Art Criticism | Societal Issues | More
More W.H. Auden Quotes
“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 Mortality, Memory, Existence, Significance, Human Connection“The ear tends to be lazy, craves the familiar and is shocked by the unexpected; the eye, on the other hand, tends to be impatient, craves the novel and is bored by repetition.” W.H. Auden
Senses, Familiarity, Novelty, Perception, Human Nature
W.H. Auden Senses, Familiarity, Novelty, Perception, Human Nature“Now the leaves are falling fast, Nurse's flowers will not last, Nurses to their graves are gone, But the prams go rolling on.” W.H. Auden
Autumn, Transience, Death, Continuity, Life Cycle
W.H. Auden Autumn, Transience, Death, Continuity, Life Cycle“All works of art are commissioned in the sense that no artist can create one by a simple act of will but must wait until what he believes to be a good idea for a work comes to him.” W.H. Auden
Art, Creativity, Inspiration, Artistic Process, Commissioning
W.H. Auden Art, Creativity, Inspiration, Artistic Process, Commissioning“Shall memory restore The steps and the shore, The face and the meeting place;.” W.H. Auden
Memory, Restoration, Place, Relationships, Nostalgia
W.H. Auden Memory, Restoration, Place, Relationships, Nostalgia“Learn from your dreams what you lack.” W.H. Auden
Dreams, Self-improvement, Introspection, Subconscious, Personal Growth
W.H. Auden Dreams, Self-improvement, Introspection, Subconscious, Personal Growth“Few can remember clearly when innocence came to a sudden end, the moment at which we ask for the first time: Am I loved?” W.H. Auden
Innocence, Love, Self-doubt, Childhood, Pivotal Moments
W.H. Auden Innocence, Love, Self-doubt, Childhood, Pivotal Moments“To hunt for symbols in a fairy tale is absolutely fatal.” W.H. Auden
Symbolism, Interpretation, Fairy Tales, Caution, Analysis
W.H. Auden Symbolism, Interpretation, Fairy Tales, Caution, Analysis“We are lived by powers we pretend to understand.” W.H. Auden
Human Nature, Understanding, Power, Self-deception, Existential Insight
W.H. Auden Human Nature, Understanding, Power, Self-deception, Existential Insight“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“All good art is in the nature of a letter written to amuse a sick friend. Too much art, particularly in our time, is only a letter written to oneself.” W.H. Auden
Art, Purpose, Friendship, Self-indulgence, Communication
W.H. Auden Art, Purpose, Friendship, Self-indulgence, Communication“For a desert island, one would choose a good dictionary rather than the greatest literary masterpiece imaginable, for, in relation to its readers, a dictionary is absolutely passive and may legitimately be read in an infinite number of ways.” W.H. Auden
Language, Utility, Imagination, Reading, Flexibility
W.H. Auden Language, Utility, Imagination, Reading, Flexibility“One cannot review a bad book without showing off.” W.H. Auden
Criticism, Vanity, Literature, Reviewing, Intellectual Display
W.H. Auden Criticism, Vanity, Literature, Reviewing, Intellectual Display“Life remains a blessing, even if we are incapable of recognizing it.” W.H. Auden
Life, Blessing, Perception, Gratitude, Human Limitation
W.H. Auden Life, Blessing, Perception, Gratitude, Human Limitation“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“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“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“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