Filter quotes by topic
Famous Jean Cocteau Quotes
“Je sais que la poésie est indispensable, mais je ne sais pas à quoi.”
“Art is science in the flesh.”
Source: Cocteau's world: an anthology of writings
“The artist is a kind of prison from which the works of art escape.”
Source: A call to order: written between the years 1918 and 1926 and including Cock and harlequin, Professional secrets, and other critical essays
“An artist cannot speak about his art any more than a plant can discuss horticulture.”
“Film will only became an art when its materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper.”
“The poet never asks for admiration; he wants to be believed.”
Source: Opium: The Illustrated Diary of His Cure
Source: The Holy Terrors
“Look out! Be on your guard, because alone of all the arts, music moves all around you.”
Source: Cocteau's world: an anthology of writings
“Art produces ugly things which frequently become beautiful with time.”
“Appreciation of art is a moral erection, otherwise mere dilettantism.”
“Lying is the only art form that the public sanctions and instinctively prefers to reality.”