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Christina Stead

Christina Stead Quotes

Novelist

Christina Stead, born on July 17, 1902, and died on March 31, 1983, was an accomplished novelist from Australia. Her works are renowned for their profound social insight and unique narrative style, primarily focusing on the daily life of Australia and the United States in the mid-20th century.

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All Men Art Money Ifs Women People Want Knows Made Passion Age Believe Class Dream Finance Girl Gold Hypocrisy Law Lying

Famous Christina Stead Quotes

“Every work of art should give utterance, or indicate, the awful blind strength and the cruelty of the creative impulse, that is why they must all have what are called errors, both of taste and style.”

Giving Should Art Creative Style Strength Taste Blind Errors Cruelty Awful Impulse Works Of Art Utterance

Book:A Web of Friendship: Selected Letters, 1928-1973

Source: A Web of Friendship: Selected Letters, 1928-1973

“She was able to feel active creation going on around her in the rocks and hills, where the mystery of lust took place; and in herself, where all was yet only the night of senses and wild dreams, the work of passion going on.”

Love Feels Art Dream Able Night Passion Mystery Rocks Creation Active Senses Lust Hills Wild Dreams

Book:For Love Alone

Source: For Love Alone

“We are primitive men; we taboo what we desire and need. How did the denying of love come to be associated with the idea of morality.”

Men Love Needs Art Ideas Desire Morality Primitive Taboo Primitive Man

Author:Christina Stead

“Loneliness is a terrible blindness.”

Art Women Loneliness Terrible Blindness

Book:Dark Places of the Heart

Source: Dark Places of the Heart

“Ye want to tell the plain truth all your life, woman, and speak straight; otherwise ye get to seeing double.”

Want Art Speak Women Seeing

Book:Dark Places of the Heart

Source: Dark Places of the Heart

“I know your breed; all your fine officials debauch the younger girls who are afraid to lose their jobs: that's as old as Washington.”

Knows Art Jobs Girl Women Loses Fine Officials

Book:The Man Who Loved Children

Source: The Man Who Loved Children

“A mother! What are we worth really? They all grow up whether you look after them or not. That poor miserable brat of his is growing up, and I certainly licked the hide off her; and she's seen marriage at its worst, and now she's dreaming about 'supermen' and 'great men'. What is the good of doing anything for them?”

Men Looks Art Dream Mother Grows Women Poor Growing Up Growing Worst Miserable Great Men Brat

Book:The Man Who Loved Children

Source: The Man Who Loved Children

“About myself - no. I'm unimportant, an observer, a wandering animal.”

Art Animal Wander Observers Unimportant

Author:Christina Stead

“The waste, the insane freaks of these money men, the cynicism and egotism of their life... I'll show that they are not brilliant, not romantic, not delightful, not intelligent.”

Men Art Shows Waste Intelligent Brilliant Insane Freak Cynicism Delightful Egotism

Book:House of All Nations

Source: House of All Nations

“Anyone would think a thin stick like me, weak and miserable, would go down with everything: do you think I get more than my old cough every winter? I bet I live till ninety, with all my aches and pains. To think that's fifty more years of the Great-I-Am.”

Thinking Years Art Pain Weak Sticks Winter Like Me Miserable Fifty Ache Ninety Aches And Pains

Author:Christina Stead

“I do not want to go to heaven; I want my children, forever children, and other children, stalwart adults, and a good happy wife, that is all I ask, but not paradise; earth is good enough for me: it is because I believe earth is heaven, Naden, that I can overcome all my troubles and face down my enemies.”

Want Believe Children Art I Can Enough Earth Faces Asks I Believe Heaven Enemy Forever Wife Trouble Adults Overcoming My Children Paradise Good Enough Stalwart Happy Wife

Author:Christina Stead

“There are so may ways to kills yourself, they're just old-fashioned with their permanganate: do you think I'd take permanganate? I wouldn't want to burn my insides out and live to tell the tale as well: idiots! It's simple, I'd drown myself... Why be in misery at the last?”

Thinking Way Want Wells May Art Lasts Simple Misery Tales Idiot Old Fashioned Killing Yourself

Author:Christina Stead

“The City is a machine miraculously organised for extracting gold from the seas, airs, clouds, from barren lands, holds of ships, mines, plantations, cottage hearth-stones, trees and rocks; and he, wretchedly waiting in the exterior halls, could not even get his finger on one tiny, tiny lever.”

Source: Christina Stead, Selected Fiction and Nonfiction

About the Author

Born: July 17, 1902
Died: March 31, 1983
Known for: Novelist
Quotes: 82

Related Topics

Men Art Money Ifs Women People Want Knows Made Passion Age Believe Class Dream Finance Girl Gold Hypocrisy Law Lying

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

House of All NationsRelated source material

For Love AloneRelated source material

The Man Who Loved ChildrenRelated source material

Letty Fox: Her LuckRelated source material

A Web of Friendship: Selected Letters, 1928-1973Related source material

A little tea, a little chatRelated source material

Christina Stead, Selected Fiction and NonfictionRelated source material

Dark Places of the HeartRelated source material

I'm Dying Laughing: The HumouristRelated source material

Miss Herbert (the suburban wife)Related source material

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