Quentin Crisp Quotes

English - Writer December 25, 1908 - November 21, 1999

When I told the people of Northern Ireland that I was an atheist, a woman in the audience stood up and said, 'Yes, but is it the God of the Catholics or the God of the Protestants in whom you don't believe?

God Woman Believe People

The consuming desire of most human beings is deliberately to plant their whole life in the hands of some other person. I would describe this method of searching for happiness as immature. Development of character consists solely in moving toward self-sufficiency.

Life Happiness Character Hands

In an expanding universe, time is on the side of the outcast. Those who once inhabited the suburbs of human contempt find that without changing their address they eventually live in the metropolis.

Time Live Universe Find

The formula for achieving a successful relationship is simple: you should treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster.

Simple Relationship You Treat

Euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne.

Wearing Cologne Diplomatic Unpleasant

Life was a funny thing that happened to me on the way to the grave.

Life Funny Me Way

Nothing more rapidly inclines a person to go into a monastery than reading a book on etiquette. There are so many trivial ways in which it is possible to commit some social sin.

Book Reading Person Nothing

It is explained that all relationships require a little give and take. This is untrue. Any partnership demands that we give and give and give and at the last, as we flop into our graves exhausted, we are told that we didn't give enough.

Enough Relationships Partnership Last

The very purpose of existence is to reconcile the glowing opinion we hold of ourselves with the appalling things that other people think about us.

People Think Purpose Opinion

It is not the simple statement of facts that ushers in freedom; it is the constant repetition of them that has this liberating effect. Tolerance is the result not of enlightenment, but of boredom.

Simple Freedom Result Facts

Top 10
Quentin Crisp
Quotes

My mother protected me from the world and my father threatened me with it.

Father Mother Me Parenting

Manners are love in a cool climate.

Love Cool Manners Climate

If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style.

Failure Style You Succeed

To know all is not to forgive all. It is to despise everybody.

Know Forgive Everybody Despise

For flavor, instant sex will never supersede the stuff you have to peel and cook.

Sex You Never Will

Love is not enough. It must be the foundation, the cornerstone - but not the complete structure. It is much too pliable, too yielding.

Love Love Is Foundation Enough

The trouble with children is that they're not returnable.

Children Trouble

The young always have the same problem - how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another.

Time Parents Problem Young

Is not the whole world a vast house of assignation of which the filing system has been lost?

World Lost House Whole

The law is simply expediency wearing a long white dress.

Dress White Law Long

There are three reasons for becoming a writer: the first is that you need the money; the second that you have something to say that you think the world should know; the third is that you can't think what to do with the long winter evenings.

Money Winter Think You

For an introvert his environment is himself and can never be subject to startling or unforeseen change.

Change Environment Never Introvert

I recommend limiting one's involvement in other people's lives to a pleasantly scant minimum.

People Other Involvement Recommend

I simply haven't the nerve to imagine a being, a force, a cause which keeps the planets revolving in their orbits and then suddenly stops in order to give me a bicycle with three speeds.

Me Bicycle Three Force

Though intelligence is powerless to modify character, it is a dab hand at finding euphemisms for its weaknesses.

Character Intelligence Finding Hand

Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are.

You Fashion Know Who

Loading...

Load more quotes

Related Authors

Gilbert K. Chesterton

Rudyard Kipling

Arthur C. Clarke

Agatha Christie

BrainyQuote

BrainyQuote Desktop

BrainyQuote Mobile

Site

Quote Of The Day

Social

BQ on Pinterest

BQ on Instagram

Apps

iPhone/iPad app

Quote Of The Day Feeds

Javascript and RSS feeds

WordPress plugin

Quote of the Day Email

About

Copyright © 2001 - 2019 BrainyQuote

Language: Español | Français

Please disable your ad blocker

OK