International relationships are preordained to be clumsy gestures based on imperfect knowledge. Rebecca West More Quotes by Rebecca West More Quotes From Rebecca West God forbid that any book should be banned. The practice is as indefensible as infanticide. Rebecca West womensarcasticfunny I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat. Rebecca West girlytimepeace Whatever happens, never forget that people would rather be led to perdition by a man, than to victory by a woman. Rebecca West victorymenpeople Literature must be an analysis of experience and a synthesis of the findings into a unity. Rebecca West unityanalysisliterature The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. Rebecca West encouragingstrengthsuccess Motherhood is neither a duty nor a privilege, but simply the way that humanity can satisfy the desire for physical immortality and triumph over the fear of death. Rebecca West momhumanitymother The trouble about man is twofold. He cannot learn truths which are too complicated; he forgets truths which are too simple. Rebecca West simpletruthmen Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience. Rebecca West womencriticismart The main difference between men and women is that men are lunatics and women are idiots. Rebecca West idiotwomendifferences Writing has nothing to do with communication between person and person, only with communication between different parts of a person's mind. Rebecca West communicationmindwriting Marriage had certain commercial advantages. By it the man secures the exclusive right to the woman's body and by it, the woman binds the man to support her during the rest of her life.... A more disgraceful bargain was never struck. Rebecca West supportbodymen It is the soul's duty to be loyal to its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master passion. Rebecca West passiondestinysoul Existence in itself, taken at its least miraculous, is a miracle. Rebecca West existencemiracletaken Motherhood is the strangest thing, it can be like being one's own Trojan horse. Rebecca West horsemotherfunny You must always believe that life is as extraordinary as music says it is. Rebecca West extraordinarylifebelieve Did St. Francis preach to the birds? Whatever for? If he really liked birds he would have done better to preach to the cats. Rebecca West catbirdpeace Life ought to be a struggle of desire toward adventures whose nobility will fertilize the soul. Rebecca West struggleadventurelife Yes,” said Mamma, “this is the worst of life, that love does not give us common sense but is a sure way of losing it. We love people, and we say that we are going to do more for them than friendship, but it makes such fools of us that we do far less, indeed sometimes what we do could be mistaken for the work of hatred. Rebecca West common-sensegivingpeople Only part of us is sane: only part of us loves pleasure and the longer day of happiness, wants to live to our nineties and die in peace, in a house that we built, that shall shelter those who come after us. The other half of us is nearly mad. It prefers the disagreeable to the agreeable, loves pain and its darker night despair, and wants to die in a catastrophe that will set back life to its beginnings and leave nothing of our house save its blackened foundations. Rebecca West madpainnight Art is not a luxury, but a necessity. Rebecca West art-isluxuryart
