I feel myself inhabited by a force or being — very little known to me. It gives the orders; I follow.
JEAN COCTEAUMan seeks to escape himself in myth, and does so by any means at his disposal. Drugs, alcohol, or lies. Unable to withdraw into himself, he disguises himself. Lies and inaccuracy give him a few moments of comfort.
More Jean Cocteau Quotes
-
-
Listen carefully to first criticisms made of your work. Note just what it is about your work that critics don’t like – then cultivate it. That’s the only part of your work that’s individual and worth keeping.
JEAN COCTEAU -
Art is not a pastime but a priesthood.
JEAN COCTEAU -
You’ve never seen death? Look in the mirror every day and you will see it like bees working in a glass hive.
JEAN COCTEAU -
Poetry is a religion with no hope.
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 -
A film is a petrified fountain of thought.
JEAN COCTEAU -
Wealth is an inborn attitude of mind, like poverty. The pauper who has made his pile may flaunt his spoils, but cannot wear them plausibly.
JEAN COCTEAU -
Beauty cannot be recognized with a cursory glance.
JEAN COCTEAU -
I have seafoam in my veins, I understand the language of waves.
JEAN COCTEAU -
Mirrors should reflect a little before throwing back images.
JEAN COCTEAU -
I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.
JEAN COCTEAU -
The job of the poet (a job which can’t be learned) consists of placing those objects of the visible world which have become invisible due to the glue of habit, in an unusual position which strikes the soul and gives them a tragic force.
JEAN COCTEAU -
Style is a simple way of saying complicated things.
JEAN COCTEAU -
Living is a horizontal fall.
JEAN COCTEAU -
If a poet has a dream, it is not of becoming famous, but of being believed.
JEAN COCTEAU