We were put on this earth to make things.
W.H. Auden
Purpose, Creativity, Human Nature, Production, Existence
W.H. Auden’s Quotes On Topics
Emotional Recovery | Marriage | Community | Societal Change | Exhaustion | Societal Expectations | All-encompassing | Literary Advice | Productivity | Cultural Commentary | Government | Justice | Cats | Politics | Art | Intention | Significance | Experience | Poetic Expression | Healing | More
More W.H. Auden Quotes
“If there are any souls in hell, it is because that is where they insist on being.” W.H. Auden
Hell, Free Will, Damnation, Choice, Theological Insight
W.H. Auden Hell, Free Will, Damnation, Choice, Theological Insight“We till shadowed days are done, We must weep and sing Duty's conscious wrong, The Devil in the clock.” W.H. Auden
Duty, Sorrow, Joy, Time, Moral Conflict
W.H. Auden Duty, Sorrow, Joy, Time, Moral Conflict“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“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“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“I see little hope for a peaceful world until men are excluded from the realm of foreign policy altogether and all decisions concerning international relations are reserved for women, preferably married ones.” W.H. Auden
Peace, Gender Roles, Foreign Policy, Women, Social Commentary
W.H. Auden Peace, Gender Roles, Foreign Policy, Women, Social Commentary“All that we are not stares back at what we are.” W.H. Auden
Identity, Self-reflection, Contrast, Human Nature, Perception
W.H. Auden Identity, Self-reflection, Contrast, Human Nature, Perception“The nightingales are sobbing in The orchards of our mothers, And hearts that we broke long ago Have long been breaking others; Tears are round, the sea is deep: Roll them overboard and sleep.” W.H. Auden
Nostalgia, Heartbreak, Consequences, Nature Imagery, Emotional Release
W.H. Auden Nostalgia, Heartbreak, Consequences, Nature Imagery, Emotional Release“I write because I love to play with language.” W.H. Auden
Writing, Language, Creativity, Passion, Self-expression
W.H. Auden Writing, Language, Creativity, Passion, Self-expression“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“For time is inches And the heart's changes, Where ghost has haunted Lost and wanted.” W.H. Auden
Time, Change, Loss, Desire, Poetic Imagery
W.H. Auden Time, Change, Loss, Desire, Poetic Imagery“All the rest is silence On the other side of the wall, And the silence ripeness, And the ripeness all.” W.H. Auden
Silence, Completeness, Metaphor, Finality, Poetic Imagery
W.H. Auden Silence, Completeness, Metaphor, Finality, Poetic Imagery“How happy is the lot of the mathematician! He is judged solely by his peers, and the standard is so high that no colleague or rival can ever win a reputation he does not deserve. No cashier writes a letter to the press complaining about the incomprehensibility of Modern Mathematics and comparing it unfavorably with the good old days when mathematicians were content to paper irregularly shaped rooms and fill bathtubs without closing the waste pipe.” W.H. Auden
Mathematics, Judgment, Professionalism, Comparison, Societal Expectations
W.H. Auden Mathematics, Judgment, Professionalism, Comparison, Societal Expectations“What answer to the meaning of existence should one require beyond the right to exercise one’s gifts?” W.H. Auden
Meaning Of Life, Creativity, Self-expression, Purpose, Individual Potential
W.H. Auden Meaning Of Life, Creativity, Self-expression, Purpose, Individual Potential“Machines are beneficial to the degree that they eliminate the need for labor, harmful to the degree that they eliminate the need for skill.” W.H. Auden
Technology, Labor, Skill, Progress, Societal Impact
W.H. Auden Technology, Labor, Skill, Progress, Societal Impact“To choose what is difficult all one's days, as if it were easy, that is faith.” W.H. Auden
Faith, Difficulty, Choice, Perseverance, Life Philosophy
W.H. Auden Faith, Difficulty, Choice, Perseverance, Life Philosophy“It is axiomatic that we should all think of ourselves as being more sensitive than other people because, when we are insensitive in our dealings with others, we cannot be aware of it at the time; conscious insensitivity is a self-contradiction.” W.H. Auden
Sensitivity, Self-awareness, Human Nature, Social Interaction, Paradox
W.H. Auden Sensitivity, Self-awareness, Human Nature, Social Interaction, Paradox