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.

About 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...

More quotations from 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

health

You always pass failure on the way to success.

—Quentin Crisp

failure

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

—Quentin Crisp

forgiveness knowledge hatred

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

—Quentin Crisp

success failure

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

History

1 Jan 2016 Added
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

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.