Jean Cocteau
France
5 Jul 1889 // 1963
Poet, / Novelist / Dramatist
5 Jul 1889 // 1963
Poet, / Novelist / Dramatist
Quotes
<< Prev Next >>
One must be a living man and a posthumous artist
Mystery has its own mysteries, and there are gods above gods. We have ours, they have theirs. That is what's known as infinity
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
If it has to choose who is to be crucified, the crowd will always save Barabbas
If a hermit lives in a state of ecstasy, his lack of comfort becomes the height of comfort. He must relinquish it
I believe in luck: how else can you explain the success of those you dislike?
The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth
Here I am trying to live, or rather, I am trying to teach the death within me how to live
Children and lunatics cut the Gordian knot which the poet spends his life patiently trying to untie
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
Search
On Anger: "For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind."
Essays
Essays
On Destiny: "Our destiny exercises its influence over us even when, as yet, we have not learned its nature: it is our future that lays down the law of our today."
Human, All Too Human
Human, All Too Human
On Friendship: "A crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love."
Essays
Essays