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 COCTEAUYou’ve never seen death? Look in the mirror every day and you will see it like bees working in a glass hive.
More Jean Cocteau Quotes
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I know that poetry is indispensable, but to what I could not say.
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We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like?
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The ability to laugh heartily is the sign of a healthy soul.
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Every day in the mirror I watch death at work.
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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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One must not mistake majority for truth.
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Not only should you not accept a prize. You should not try to deserve one either.
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And now I have to confess the unpardonable and the scandalous. I am a happy man. And I am going to tell you the secret of my happiness. It is quite simple. I love mankind. I love love. I hate hate. I try to understand and accept.
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There’s no such thing as love; only proof of love.
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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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Nothing ever gets anywhere. The earth keeps turning round and gets nowhere. The moment is the only thing that counts.
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Mirrors should think longer before they reflect.
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After you have written a thing and you reread it, there is always the temptation to fix it up, to improve it, to remove its poison, blunt its sting.
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Do as the beautiful woman: see to your figure and your petticoats. Though, of course, I am not speaking literally.
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Poetry, being elegance itself, cannot hope to achieve visibility… It insists on living its own life.
JEAN COCTEAU