The sort of poetry I seek resides in objects man can't touch. poetry
Charm, in most men and nearly all women, is a decoration. women
History develops, art stands still. art & history
I am sure that if the mothers of various nations could meet, there would be no more wars. mom
We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. life
To make us feel small in the right way is a function of art men can only make us feel small in the wrong way. art
Only people who have been allowed to practise freedom can have the grown-up look in their eyes. freedom
England has always been disinclined to accept human nature. nature
People have their own deaths as well as their own lives, and even if there is nothing beyond death, we shall differ in our nothingness. death
One is certain of nothing but the truth of one's own emotions. truth
Love is always being given where it is not required. love
Either life entails courage, or it ceases to be life. courage
The people I respect most behave as if they were immortal and as if society was eternal. respect & society
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch. faith
The sadness of the incomplete, the sadness that is often Life, but should never be Art. art
What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives? good & nature
I have no mystic faith in the people. I have in the individual. faith
What is wonderful about great literature is that it transforms the man who reads it towards the condition of the man who wrote. great
The work of art assumes the existence of the perfect spectator, and is indifferent to the fact that no such person exists. art & work
Nonsense and beauty have close connections. beauty
One of the evils of money is that it tempts us to look at it rather than at the things that it buys. money
If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country. hope
One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life. trust
A poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself. poetry
The main facts in human life are five: birth, food, sleep, love and death. death, food, life & love
Death destroys a man, but the idea of death saves him. death