Man 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.
JEAN COCTEAUFight any instinct to be humorless, for humorlessness is the worst of all absurdities.
More Jean Cocteau Quotes
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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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There’s no such thing as love; only proof of love.
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It is not I who become addicted, it is my body.
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It is excruciating to be an unbeliever with a spirit that is deeply religious.
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Youth is certain what it rejects before it knows what it will accept.
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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.
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If a poet has a dream, it is not of becoming famous, but of being believed.
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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.
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An original artist is unable to copy. So he has only to copy in order to be original.
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When I write, I disturb. When I show a film, I disturb. When I exhibit my painting, I disturb, and I disturb if I don’t. I have a knack for disturbing.
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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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Tact in audacity is knowing how far you can go without going too far.
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Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time.
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Appreciation of art is a moral erection, otherwise mere dilettantism.
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Mirrors should think longer before they reflect.
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An artist cannot speak about his art any more than a plant can discuss horticulture.
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The prettiest dresses are worn to be taken off.
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I have lost my seven best friends, which is to say God has had mercy on me seven times without realizing it. He lent a friendship, took it from me, sent me another.
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Poetry, being elegance itself, cannot hope to achieve visibility… It insists on living its own life.
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The dead drug leaves a ghost behind. At certain hours it haunts the house.
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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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Youth can only assert itself through the conviction that its ventures surpass all others and resemble nothing.
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Art is science in the flesh.
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Since the day of my birth, my death began its walk. It is walking toward me, without hurrying.
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The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth.
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Fight any instinct to be humorless, for humorlessness is the worst of all absurdities.
JEAN COCTEAU