All poets adore explosions, thunderstorms, tornadoes, conflagrations, ruins, scenes of spectacular carnage. The poetic imagination is not at all a desirable quality in a statesman. W. H. Auden More Quotes by W. H. Auden More Quotes From W. H. Auden Civilizations should be measured by the degree of diversity attained and the degree of unity retained. W. H. Auden diversityrespectcivilization I will love you forever" swears the poet. I find this easy to swear too. "I will love you at 4:15 pm next Tuesday" - Is that still as easy? W. H. Auden pmslove-youtuesday We would rather be ruined than changed. We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and let our illusions die. W. H. Auden growthchangereligion We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know. W. H. Auden helping-othersinspirationalfunny My deepest feeling about politicians is that they are dangerous lunatics to be avoided when possible and carefully humored; people, above all, to whom one must never tell the truth. W. H. Auden politicsfeelingspeople Thousands have lived without love, not one without water. W. H. Auden strengthmotivationallove In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it: they must not do too much of it: and they must have a sense of success in it - not a doubtful sense, such as needs some testimony of others for its confirmation, but a sure sense, or rather knowledge, that so much work has been done well, and fruitfully done, whatever the world may say or think about it. W. H. Auden worksuccessthinking The most important truths are likely to be those which society at that time least wants to hear. W. H. Auden importanttruthwant 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 vicescommonmay All sins tend to be addictive, and the terminal point of addiction is damnation. W. H. Auden damnationaddictionsin Good can imagine Evil; but Evil cannot imagine Good. W. H. Auden imaginepoliticsevil Nobody is ever sent to Hell: he or she insists on going there. W. H. Auden hell All that we are not stares back at what we are. W. H. Auden staringmadcrazy Learn from your dreams what you lack. W. H. Auden your-dreamsdream Young people, who are still uncertain of their identity, often try on a succession of masks in the hope of finding the one which suits them - the one, in fact, which is not a mask. W. H. Auden finding-the-onetryingpeople Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also bad for the character. If I find a book really bad, the only interest I can derive from writing about it has to come from myself, from such display of intelligence, wit and malice as I can contrive. One cannot review a bad book without showing off. W. H. Auden writingcharacterbook No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine joy in the successes of those under him. W. H. Auden leadershipjoyinspirational A small grove massacred to the last ash, W. H. Auden environmentalheartgiving Money cannot buy the fuel of love but is excellent kindling. W. H. Auden fuelexcellentlove I'll love you till the ocean Is folded and hung up to dry And the seven stars go squawking Like geese about the sky. W. H. Auden oceanstarslove
