Each in the cell of himself is almost convinced of his freedom. W. H. Auden More Quotes by W. H. Auden More Quotes From W. H. Auden As biological organisms made of matter, we are subject to the laws of physics and biology: as conscious persons who create our own history we are free to decide what that history shall be. Without science, we should have no notion of equality; without art, no notion of liberty. W. H. Auden should-have law art Men will pay large sums to whores for telling them they are not bores. W. H. Auden bores pay men In life the loser's score is always zero. W. H. Auden loser zero losing Get up very early and get going at once. In fact, work first and wash afterwards. W. H. Auden get-up facts firsts That the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes. W. H. Auden self hair hands Drama began as the act of a whole community. Ideally, there would be no speculators. In practice, every member of the audience should feel like an understudy. W. H. Auden community practice drama Our researchers into Public Opinion are content That he held the proper opinions for the time of year; When there was peace, he was for peace: when there was war, he went. He was married and added five children to the population, Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation, And our teachers report that he never interfered with their education. Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had everything been wrong, we should certainly have heard. W. H. Auden teacher war children 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 quality imagination leadership A poet, qua poet, has only one political duty, namely, in his own writing to set an example of the correct use of his mother tongue, which is always being corrupted. When words lose their meaning, physical force takes over. W. H. Auden political mother writing To have a sense of sin means to feel guilty at there being an ethical choice to make, a guilt which, however "good" I may become, remains unchanged. W. H. Auden guilt choices mean A dead man who never caused others to die seldom rates a statue. W. H. Auden dead-man rate men Adjectives are the potbelly of poetry. W. H. Auden adjectives poetry We are all here on earth to help others. W. H. Auden funny-life helping-others earth A poet can write about a man slaying a dragon, but not about a man pushing a button that releases a bomb. W. H. Auden dragons writing men A writer is a maker, not a man of action: his private life is of no concern to anybody but himself, his family and his friends. W. H. Auden life-is action men When someone between twenty and forty says, apropos of a work of art, 'I know what I like,' he is really saying 'I have no taste of my own but accept the taste of my cultural milieu. W. H. Auden twenties taste art 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 peaceful decision men Murder is unique in that it abolishes the party it injures, so that society has to take the place of the victim and on his behalf demand atonement or grant forgiveness; it is the one crime in which society has a direct interest. W. H. Auden forgiveness party unique The commonest ivory tower is that of the average man, the state of passivity towards experience. W. H. Auden ivory-tower average men We were put on this earth to make things. W. H. Auden earth
