The poverty from which I have suffered could be diagnosed as 'Soho' poverty. It comes from having the airs and graces of a genius and no talent. Quentin Crisp More Quotes by Quentin Crisp More Quotes From Quentin Crisp I was beaten up wherever I went, and people shouted at me and cursed me and threw things at me. Quentin Crisp cursed beaten people You don't have to deal with anyone in America. They accept you the way you are. Quentin Crisp accepting america way I don't really act. I say the words the way I would say them if I meant them. Quentin Crisp ifs way I read all the books I could find about manners, and the extraordinary thing was, in all books up to the end of the Second World War, most were directed at how to comport yourself in the presence of the ladies. Quentin Crisp war book world Women have decided to be people, which is a great mistake. Women were nicer than people. Quentin Crisp great-mistakes mistake people The world was very feminine when I was young. And now it's very masculine. Quentin Crisp feminine young world As soon as a person takes a part as a homosexual, the press says, "What do your wife and children think of this?" And the actor never says, "Well, last week I was a murderer, and the week before that I was a child molester, and the week before that I was a lunatic. But now I'm a homosexual." Quentin Crisp wife children thinking Nearly always when actors are approached by the beauticians, they try to avoid the dabs that the beauticians put on their faces. They dodge them. Quentin Crisp dodge faces trying I asked a girl who came from America to England, when I was only English, and she admitted she had been to a drama school. And I said, "What did they teach you?" And she said, "They taught me to be a candle burning in an empty room." I'm happy to say she was laughing while she said it, but she meant it. I've never learned to be a candle burning in an empty room. So I go on the screen, and I say whatever I'm told to say. Quentin Crisp girl drama school When I was young, I don't know how, I spent all my time in the presence of married women telling me their troubles. And when I said 'Why did you marry?' they said, 'Oh I married to get away from home.' And when I said, 'And why don't you leave him?' they gave the saddest answer in the world: they said, 'Where would I go?' So they stayed with men they didn't like because they had nowhere to go. Quentin Crisp answers home men God is so angry. All that power, and so mean with it. Quentin Crisp angry mean If I were God - and I never understand why I'm not - I should say, "Shop around, I don't think you'll find a better bargain than here." Quentin Crisp shops should thinking Did you know that Allah promises you a seat in Paradise if you kill a Christian? Quentin Crisp paradise christian promise The trouble with European cities is that they are drenched in their history, almost all of which is terrible. Quentin Crisp terrible cities trouble I've come from a very masculine country to a feminine country. England was very masculine; people went from England to abroad, and they landed from above and they said "These are the gods you will worship, these are the crops you will grow, now go away and do it." Which is a manly attitude. Americans go abroad and they say, "Try not to quarrel so much", which is a feminine attitude. Quentin Crisp attitude country people Europeans have quarrelled since the beginning of time. Quentin Crisp When I was young, I wanted to find the Great Dark Man. When I said that I realise now that people thought that by 'dark' I meant black, and that by 'great' I meant big. Whereas I only meant a strong, mysterious person; someone who would 'take me away from all this.' Quentin Crisp strong dark men As far as I know, you can fancy someone, you can enjoy their company or you can wish them well. But what being in love is, I don't know. Quentin Crisp being-in-love wish love-is If you live in America, you don't have to work. You can just drift along in the smiling and nodding racket. Quentin Crisp nodding racket america The Scots are very hospitable; almost as hospitable as the Americans. Quentin Crisp scots
