Quentin Crisp - Quodid

About

Picture of Quentin Crisp

Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt; (1908-12-25)25 December 1908 – (1999-11-21)21 November 1999) was an English raconteur whose personal expression broke social norms of the era. Crisp gained notoriety for her 1968 memoir The Naked Civil Servant, popularized by its 1975 screen adaptation. Her flamboyant personality, fashion, and wit made Crisp a queer icon, and a sensation in live solo appearances later in life.

Quotes from Quentin Crisp

Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster.

—Quentin Crisp

disaster attitude

Of course I lie to people. But I lie altruistically — for our mutual good. The lie is the basic building block of good manners. That may seem mildly shocking to a moralist — but then what isn't?

—Quentin Crisp

truth shock manners lying

Health consists of having the same diseases as one's neighbors.

—Quentin Crisp

health disease neighbors

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?

—Quentin Crisp

God religion Christianity atheism

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

—Quentin Crisp

success failure

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

—Quentin Crisp

forgiveness knowledge hatred

You always pass failure on the way to success.

—Quentin Crisp

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.

—Quentin Crisp

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

—Quentin Crisp

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

—Quentin Crisp

Manners are love in a cool climate.

—Quentin Crisp

Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level.

—Quentin Crisp

victory competition holding