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W. H. Auden Quotes

Powerful W. H. Auden for Daily Growth

About W. H. Auden

Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973), a preeminent figure in twentieth-century literature, was born in York, England. He displayed an early affinity for language, immersing himself in poetry and prose at a young age. In 1925, he enrolled at Christ Church, Oxford University, where he pursued an education that would serve as the foundation for his future literary career. Auden's work was heavily influenced by Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Christian theology. These philosophical underpinnings became apparent in his poetry, which often tackled themes of politics, psychology, and morality. In 1928, he published his first collection, "Poems," showcasing the mature, intellectual voice that would define much of his subsequent work. In 1939, Auden moved to the United States, settling in New York City. This transition marked a significant shift in his poetic style, as he began to explore themes of American identity and culture. During this period, he collaborated with Christopher Isherwood on "The Berlin Stories," a collection of novellas that became the basis for the Tony-winning Broadway musical, "I Am a Camera" (1951). Auden's most famous work, "September 1, 1939," was written in response to the outbreak of World War II. The poem, with its poignant and haunting imagery, encapsulates the anxieties and uncertainties felt by many during this tumultuous time. Throughout his life, Auden wrote extensively across various genres, including poetry, prose, librettos, and broadcast commentaries. His versatility as a writer, coupled with his insightful observations on the human condition, secured him a place among the great poets of the twentieth century. W. H. Auden died in Vienna in 1973, leaving behind a rich and enduring body of work that continues to influence contemporary literature.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"We must love one another or die."

This quote by W.H. Auden emphasizes the importance of human connection in our lives. The message suggests that if we do not cultivate love for each other, we risk becoming isolated and disconnected, which could potentially lead to our demise as a society. It highlights that love, in its broadest sense, is essential for our survival and well-being as individuals and as a collective.

"I think that people should be very afraid to take it for granted that happiness is the normal state of man, because I think it isn't."

W.H. Auden suggests that humans should not assume happiness as their default or "normal" state, as he doubts this assumption. Instead, he implies a more complex and nuanced human experience that may involve suffering and hardship alongside joy. This quote emphasizes the importance of empathy, understanding, and acceptance of the emotional complexity inherent in being human.

"The more perfect the instrument, the less it says."

This quote by W.H. Auden suggests that as a tool or system becomes increasingly refined and efficient, its role in a process may become less apparent, giving the impression of less importance or agency. In other words, when something functions perfectly, we might take it for granted and overlook its significance because it requires no special attention or effort to operate effectively. This can apply to various aspects of life, from technology to interpersonal relationships, reminding us that every component plays a crucial role in the grand scheme.

"To live is to choose. Live then."

This quote by W.H. Auden suggests that life, in its essence, involves making choices. By living, we are constantly deciding on the paths we take, the values we uphold, and the actions we perform. The quote encourages us to embrace this reality and make conscious choices, thereby fully engaging with our lives. In other words, the act of choosing is what makes life meaningful.

"Those to whom evil is done do evil in return."

This quote suggests a cycle of retaliation, where acts of harm or wrongdoing perpetuated by one party are often mirrored by the victim, creating a destructive pattern. It implies that individuals who experience injustice may be driven to respond with similar actions, reflecting a tragic dynamic where suffering breeds more suffering. This quote underscores the need for understanding, empathy, and breaking the cycle of violence and harm.

It's a sad fact about our culture that a poet can earn much more money writing or talking about his art than he can by practicing it.

- W. H. Auden

Art, Fact, More, Practicing

Choice of attention - to pay attention to this and ignore that - is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases, a man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences, whatever they may be.

- W. H. Auden

Pay Attention, May, Outer, Cases

To save your world you asked this man to die; would this man, could he see you now, ask why?

- W. H. Auden

Die, Could, Save, Asked

Almost all of our relationships begin and most of them continue as forms of mutual exploitation, a mental or physical barter, to be terminated when one or both parties run out of goods.

- W. H. Auden

Relationship, Almost All, Both Parties

History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.

- W. H. Auden

Study, Strictly Speaking, Anthropology

What the mass media offers is not popular art, but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food, forgotten, and replaced by a new dish.

- W. H. Auden

Consumed, Offers, Which, Forgotten

The ear tends to be lazy, craves the familiar and is shocked by the unexpected; the eye, on the other hand, tends to be impatient, craves the novel and is bored by repetition.

- W. H. Auden

Lazy, Other, Impatient, Ear

Sob, heavy world Sob as you spin, Mantled in mist Remote from the happy.

- W. H. Auden

Happy, World, Spin, Sob

Every autobiography is concerned with two characters, a Don Quixote, the Ego, and a Sancho Panza, the Self.

- W. H. Auden

Self, Concerned, Characters, Quixote

May it not be that, just as we have to have faith in Him, God has to have faith in us and, considering the history of the human race so far, may it not be that 'faith' is even more difficult for Him than it is for us?

- W. H. Auden

Race, More, May, Considering

I'll love you, dear, I'll love you till China and Africa meet and the river jumps over the mountain and the salmon sing in the street.

- W. H. Auden

Love, Over, Valentine's Day, Dear

If time were the wicked sheriff in a horse opera, I'd pay for riding lessons and take his gun away.

- W. H. Auden

Gun, Opera, Away, Wicked

No poet or novelist wishes he were the only one who ever lived, but most of them wish they were the only one alive, and quite a number fondly believe their wish has been granted.

- W. H. Auden

Alive, Been, Them, Novelist

Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our own table.

- W. H. Auden

Bed, Always, Eats, Shares

Geniuses are the luckiest of mortals because what they must do is the same as what they most want to do.

- W. H. Auden

Same, Most, Luckiest, Mortals

In relation to a writer, most readers believe in the Double Standard: they may be unfaithful to him as often as they like, but he must never, never be unfaithful to them.

- W. H. Auden

Like, May, Standard, Readers

Murder is unique in that it abolishes the party it injures, so that society has to take the place of the victim and on his behalf demand atonement or grant forgiveness; it is the one crime in which society has a direct interest.

- W. H. Auden

Forgiveness, Which, Direct, Grant

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.

- W. H. Auden

Love, Admire, Like, Make Me Laugh

Before people complain of the obscurity of modern poetry, they should first examine their consciences and ask themselves with how many people and on how many occasions they have genuinely and profoundly shared some experience with another.

- W. H. Auden

Some, Modern Poetry, Shared, Obscurity

No good opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.

- W. H. Auden

Music, Opera, Plot, Sensible

It is a sad fact about our culture that a poet can earn much more money writing or talking about his art than he can by practicing it.

- W. H. Auden

Art, Fact, More, Sad Fact

Hemingway is terribly limited. His technique is good for short stories, for people who meet once in a bar very late at night, but do not enter into relations. But not for the novel.

- W. H. Auden

Very, Stories, Limited, Relations

All sins tend to be addictive, and the terminal point of addiction is damnation.

- W. H. Auden

Addiction, Terminal, Tend, Addictive

Perhaps there is only one cardinal sin: impatience. Because of impatience we were driven out of Paradise, because of impatience we cannot return.

- W. H. Auden

Out, Perhaps, We Cannot, Cardinal

When I find myself in the company of scientists, I feel like a shabby curate who has strayed by mistake into a room full of dukes.

- W. H. Auden

Science, Mistake, Like, Shabby

When I am in the company of scientists, I feel like a shabby curate who has strayed by mistake into a drawing room full of dukes.

- W. H. Auden

Mistake, Like, Curate, Shabby

Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.

- W. H. Auden

Death, Sound, Distant, Picnic

A tremendous number of people in America work very hard at something that bores them. Even a rich man thinks he has to go down to the office everyday. Not because he likes it but because he can't think of anything else to do.

- W. H. Auden

Office, Very, Anything Else, Everyday

Every American poet feels that the whole responsibility for contemporary poetry has fallen upon his shoulders, that he is a literary aristocracy of one.

- W. H. Auden

Shoulders, Feels, Literary, Aristocracy

We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know.

- W. H. Auden

Funny, Help, Here, Help Others

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