You fall out of your mother's womb, you crawl across open country under fire, and drop into your grave.
Quentin CrispRead
Mainstream people dislike homosexuality because they can't help concentrating on what homosexual men do to one another. And when you contemplate what people do, you think of yourself doing it. And they don't like that. That's the famous joke: I don't like peas, and I'm glad I don't like them, because if I liked them I would eat them and I hate them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote discusses societal discomfort with homosexuality stemming from self-reflection and personal biases.
Quentin Crisp emphasizes that mainstream disapproval of homosexuality often arises from an inability to separate one's own actions from those they perceive others engaging in. This discomfort reflects a deeper existential engagement, where people project their aversions onto others, highlighting how personal biases shape societal norms and attitudes.
Themes
HomosexualitySocietyDiscomfortSelf-ReflectionBias
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on societal norms, one might quote Crisp to highlight the irrationality behind certain prejudices.
More from Quentin Crisp
All quotes →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.
Quentin CrispRead
What would you be like if you were the only person in the world? If you want to be truly happy you must be that person.
Quentin CrispRead
The search for a life-style involves a journey to the interior. This is not altogether a pleasant experience, because you not only have to take stock of what you consider your assets but you also have to take a long look at what your friends call “the trouble with you.” Nevertheless, the journey is worth making.
Quentin CrispRead
If you describe things as better than they are, you are considered to be a romantic; if you describe things as worse than they are, you will be called a realist; and if you describe things exactly as they are, you will be thought of as a satirist.
Quentin CrispRead
The flagrantly gay Quentin Crisp dealt with homophobic bullying by refusing to bow to its onslaught. His number listed in the phone directory, he responded to derogatory remarks accompanied with a stated intent to kill him by asking, "Would you like to make an appointment?"
Quentin CrispRead
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