A poet can write about a man slaying a dragon, but not about a man pushing a button that releases a bomb.
More Quotes from W. H. Auden:
He knew human folly like the back of his hand, And was greatly interested in armies and fleets; When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter, And when he cried the little children died in the streets.W. H. Auden
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
Learn from your dreams what you lack.
W. H. Auden
In times of joy, all of us wished we possessed a tail we could wag.
W. H. Auden
Now Ireland has her madness and her weather still, For poetry makes nothing happen.
W. H. Auden
Anyone who has a child today should train him to be either a physicist or a ballet dancer. Then he'll escape.
W. H. Auden
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Based on Topics: Literature Quotes, Man Quotes, Poets QuotesBased on Keywords: button, dragon, slaying
I guess some people are brilliant enough to be brilliant on their own and never doubt anything and come up with fabulous things. But I think it's good to get into arguments with people and have them say, 'That sucks' or 'You're crazy' or 'That's cheesy"'or 'What do you think of this?'
Madonna Ciccone
I tried to stir the imagination and enthusiasms of students to take risks, to do what they were most afraid of doing, to widen their horizons of action.
James Broughton