Elegance ceases to exist when it is noticed. Jean Cocteau More Quotes by Jean Cocteau More Quotes From Jean Cocteau My method is simple: not to bother about poetry. It must come of its own accord. Merely whispering its name drives it away. Jean Cocteau whisperingsimplenames See your disappointments as good fortune. One plan's deflation is another's inflation. Jean Cocteau deflationdisappointmentfortune The cinema is death at work. Jean Cocteau cinema The poet, by composing poems, uses a language that is neither dead nor living, that few people speak, and few people understand We are the servants of an unknown force that lives within us, manipulates us, and dictates this language to us. Jean Cocteau languageusepeople Commissions suit me. They set limits. Jean Marais dared me to write play in which he would not speak in the first act, would weep for joy in the second and in the last would fall backward down a flight of stairs. Jean Cocteau playwritingfall True realism consists in revealing the surprising things which habit keeps covered and prevents us from seeing. Jean Cocteau revealinghabitreality The greatest masterpiece in literature is only a dictionary out of order. Jean Cocteau masterpieceliteratureorder Mystery has its own mysteries, and there are gods above gods. We have ours, they have theirs. That is what's known as infinity. Jean Cocteau infinitymystery-novelsgod If a hermit lives in a state of ecstasy, his lack of comfort becomes the height of comfort. He must relinquish it. Jean Cocteau asceticismheightcomfort It is excruciating to be an unbeliever with a spirit that is deeply religious. Jean Cocteau unbelieversreligiousspirit All spiritual journeys are martyrdoms Jean Cocteau martyrjourneyspiritual Emotion resulting from a work of art is only of value when it is not obtained by sentimental blackmail. Jean Cocteau sentimentalemotionart What uniform can I wear to hide my heavy heart? It is too heavy. It will always show. Jacques felt himself growing gloomy again. He was well aware that to live on earth a man must follow its fashions, and hearts were no longer worn. Jean Cocteau fashionheartmen The smell of opium is the least stupid smell in the world. Jean Cocteau smelldrugstupid There are too many souls of wood not to love those wooden characters who do indeed have a soul. Jean Cocteau woodssoulcharacter The instinct of nearly all societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free. First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too, the finish by loading honors on your head. Jean Cocteau intuitiontruthhonor Anything of any importance cannot help but be unrecognizable, since it bears no resemblance to anything already known. Jean Cocteau importancebearshelping Be a constant outrage to modesty There is nothing to fear: modesty is exercised only among the blind. Jean Cocteau outragemodestyblind Compromise yourself. Obscure your own trail. Jean Cocteau trailsobscurecompromise Do not fear being ridiculous in relation to the ridiculous. Jean Cocteau ridiculousdo-not-fearrelation
