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 COCTEAUSince these mysteries exceed my grasp, I shall pretend to have organized them.
More Jean Cocteau Quotes
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Cultivate everything the critics hated in your first work – that’s what makes you unique.
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We shelter an angel within us. We must be the guardians of that angel.
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Fight any instinct to be humorless, for humorlessness is the worst of all absurdities.
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May the devil himself splatter you with dung.
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It is not I who become addicted, it is my body.
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After the writer’s death, reading his journal is like receiving a long letter.
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The ability to laugh heartily is the sign of a healthy soul.
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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.
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Elegance ceases to exist when it is noticed.
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Never do what a specialist can do better. Discover your own specialty. Do not despair if your specialty appears to be more delicate, a lesser thing. Make up in finesse what you lose in force.
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Tact in audacity is knowing how far you can go without going too far.
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The only way to kill death is through photography.
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Here I am trying to live, or rather, I am trying to teach the death within me how to live.
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I have a piece of great and sad news to tell you: I am dead.
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I only fear the death of others. For me, true death is that of the people I love.
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