Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
Desire, even in its wildest tantrums, can neither persuade me it is love nor stop me from wishing it were.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Desire may feel intense, but it does not equate to true love and cannot hinder the longing for genuine affection.
In this quote by W. H. Auden, the author reflects on the nature of desire, distinguishing it from authentic love. He acknowledges that while desire can be overwhelming and tumultuous, it lacks the depth and sincerity of true emotional connection, leaving him yearning for the real thing despite the chaos that desire brings.
Themes
DesireLoveLongingEmotionConnection
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on relationships, one might say, 'As W. H. Auden pointed out, desire alone does not define love.'
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes βThat the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
Similar quotes
O my heart! Love God as the chatrik loves the rain drops, Who even when fountains are full and the land green, Is not satisfied as long as it cannot get a drop of rain.
Guru NanakRead
Love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can't stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they'll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That's love, you see. It is redemptive.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
This is not a letter but my arms around you for a brief moment.
Katherine MansfieldRead
And that's when I understand that I have been stained. Whether I'm still in love with him, whether he was ever in love with me, and no matter who he's in love with now, Willem changed my life. He showed me how to get lost, and then I showed myself how to get found.
Gayle FormanRead
John you say you met in an elevator. Was the elevator going up at the time, or down? This is very important, for going down in an elevator one always has that sinking feeling and for all I know you may have this confused with love. If you were going up, it is clearly a case of love at first sight.
Groucho MarxRead
Love is like a flower - you have to let it grow.
John LennonRead