The artist is a member of the leisured classes who cannot pay for his leisure.
Cyril Connolly

It is only in the country that we can get to know a person or a book.
Cyril Connolly

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
Cyril Connolly

No city should be too large for a man to walk out of in a morning.
Cyril Connolly

Always be nice to those younger than you, because they are the ones who will be writing about you.
Cyril Connolly

The past is the only dead thing that smells sweet.
Cyril Connolly

There is no pain equal to that which two lovers can inflict on one another. This should be made clear to all who contemplate such a union. The avoidance of this pain is the beginning of wisdom, for it is strong enough to contaminate the rest of our lives.
Cyril Connolly

The artist one day falls through a hole in the brambles, and from that moment he is following the dark rapids of an underground river which may sometimes flow so near to the surface that the laughing picnic parties are heard above.
Cyril Connolly