Edith Sitwell Quotes

Powerful Edith Sitwell for Daily Growth

About Edith Sitwell

Edith Louisa Sitwell (1887-1964) was a prominent English poet, essayist, and literary critic, known for her distinctive voice and unconventional style. Born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, she was the eldest of three children in a family of intellectuals: sisters Edith, Osbert, and Sacheverell Sitwell. Their Bohemian upbringing, filled with music, art, and literature, significantly influenced their creative lives. Edith's literary career began early; her first poem was published when she was only 12 years old. She continued to write poetry throughout her life, experimenting with various forms, including free verse, ballads, and dramatic monologues. Her works often dealt with themes of history, mythology, and the supernatural, reflecting her fascination with the past and the mysterious. One of Sitwell's most influential works is the trilogy "Facade" (1922), a series of poems set to music by English composer William Walton. The collection showcases Sitwell's unique voice, characterized by her use of archaic language and non-standard grammar. Another notable work is "Gold Coast Customs" (1929), a series of poems inspired by her travels in West Africa, which showcase her interest in the exotic and the unfamiliar. In addition to her poetry, Sitwell wrote numerous essays on literature and art, contributing significantly to literary criticism in England. She was also an active participant in the Bloomsbury Group, a collective of artists, writers, and intellectuals, including Virginia Woolf and T.S. Eliot. Despite facing criticism for her unconventional style and her often controversial views, Sitwell remained a significant figure in English literature until her death in 1964. Her work continues to be celebrated for its originality and its ability to challenge conventional literary norms.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The only cure for suffering is to live."

This quote suggests that the most effective remedy for pain or hardship is not avoidance, escape, or anesthesia, but rather active living. It implies that engaging with life, experiencing its fullness, joys, and challenges, can help us cope with and overcome suffering. Embracing life, rather than retreating from it, is the path to healing and growth.


"I am not young and never will be young again."

This quote by Edith Sitwell acknowledges the irreversible passage of time, specifically in relation to youthfulness. It expresses a sense of wistfulness for the fleeting nature of youth and the acceptance that one can no longer recapture the vitality and exuberance of their younger years. Despite this, it also implies a certain wisdom and depth of experience that only comes with age.


"Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire cannons."

This quote by Edith Sitwell suggests that time, in itself, is unchanging and lacks the external markers that humans impose to divide and measure its passage (e.g., months, years, centuries). She implies that human-made conventions such as New Year's Day or the start of a new century do not inherently signify significant changes, but rather we use these moments to create milestones in our collective memory. In essence, Sitwell is reminding us that time marches on regardless of our attempts to categorize and define it.


"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this: where I does not exist, nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand."

Edith Sitwell's quote expresses a profound, pure, and unconditional love. She loves without reservation, understanding, or expectations, focusing solely on the act of loving itself. This love transcends time, space, and self, merging the boundaries between the lover and the beloved into an interconnected whole. The physical gesture of her lover's hand touching her chest symbolizes their spiritual, emotional connection, making them one entity. Ultimately, Sitwell conveys a timeless, pure, and transformative love that exists beyond individual identities.


"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

This quote suggests that true success lies not in avoiding failures, but rather in maintaining a persistent and unwavering enthusiasm despite encountering multiple setbacks or failures. The resilience to bounce back from disappointments and maintain optimism is an essential trait for personal growth and achieving long-term success.


I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.

- Edith Sitwell

Patience, I Am, Proud, Stupidity

Hot water is my native element. I was in it as a baby, and I have never seemed to get out of it ever since.

- Edith Sitwell

Water, Hot, Seemed, Native

The aim of flattery is to soothe and encourage us by assuring us of the truth of an opinion we have already formed about ourselves.

- Edith Sitwell

Truth, Aim, Soothe, Assuring

I am an unpopular electric eel in a pool of catfish.

- Edith Sitwell

I Am, Pool, Electric, Unpopular

I have taken this step because I want the discipline, the fire and the authority of the Church. I am hopelessly unworthy of it, but I hope to become worthy.

- Edith Sitwell

Church, Worthy, Want, Hopelessly

Good taste is the worst vice ever invented.

- Edith Sitwell

Good Taste, Vice, Ever, Invented

The trouble with most Englishwomen is that they will dress as if they had been a mouse in a previous incarnation they do not want to attract attention.

- Edith Sitwell

Dress, Been, Previous, Incarnation

I am one of those unhappy persons who inspire bores to the greatest flights of art.

- Edith Sitwell

Art, Bores, Am, Flights

I wish the government would put a tax on pianos for the incompetent.

- Edith Sitwell

Funny, Wish, I Wish, Pianos

I have often wished I had time to cultivate modesty... but I am too busy thinking about myself.

- Edith Sitwell

Myself, About, Wished, Modesty

Still falls the rain - dark as the world of man, black as our loss - blind as the nineteen hundred and forty nails upon the Cross.

- Edith Sitwell

Rain, Blind, Still, Forty

My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence.

- Edith Sitwell

Music, Listening, Reading, Hobbies

The poet speaks to all men of that other life of theirs that they have smothered and forgotten.

- Edith Sitwell

Men, Other, Speaks, Forgotten

A great many people now reading and writing would be better employed keeping rabbits.

- Edith Sitwell

Better, Would, Keeping, Rabbits

The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth.

- Edith Sitwell

Truth, Will, Public, Founded

Poetry is the deification of reality.

- Edith Sitwell

Reality, Poetry

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