Poetry is a religion without hope. The poet exhausts himself in its service, knowing that, in the long run, a masterpiece is nothing but the performance of a trained dog on very shaky ground.
JEAN COCTEAUSilence moves faster when it’s going backward.
More Jean Cocteau Quotes
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It is difficult to live without opium after having known it because it is difficult, after knowing opium, to take earth seriously. And unless one is a saint, it is difficult to live without taking earth seriously.
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If it has to choose who is to be crucified, the crowd will always save Barabbas.
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Elegance ceases to exist when it is noticed.
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The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth.
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Poetry is a religion with no hope.
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You have comfort. You don’t have luxury. And don’t tell me that money plays a part. The luxury I advocate has nothing to do with money. It cannot be bought. It is the reward of those who have NO Fear or Discomfort.
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We shelter an angel within us. We must be the guardians of that angel.
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If a poet has a dream, it is not of becoming famous, but of being believed.
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I know that poetry is indispensable, but to what I could not say.
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The eyes of the dead are closed gently; we also have to open gently the eyes of the living.
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Tact in audacity is knowing how far you can go without going too far.
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Every day in the mirror I watch death at work.
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An artist cannot speak about his art any more than a plant can discuss horticulture.
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The extreme limit of wisdom, that’s what the public calls madness.
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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.
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