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Quote by Cyril Connolly

“It is a consolation of human life that the sick forget what it is like to feel well, or the miserable to be happy.”

Quote by Cyril Connolly

Author

Cyril Connolly was a prominent British literary critic and writer, known for his profound insights into modern literature and culture. His works include literary criticism, novels, and essays, with his most famous works being 'The Enemies' and 'The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft'. Connolly's writing style was unique, characterized by satire and wit. more

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“Peace ... is a morbid condition, due to a surplus of civilians, which war seeks to remedy.”

War Peace Conditions Dues Remedy Civilians Surplus Morbid

Book:The Condemned Playground

Source: The Condemned Playground

“Young writers if they are to mature require a period of between three and seven years in which to live down their promise. Promise is like the mediaeval hangman who after settling the noose, pushed his victim off the platform and jumped on his back, his weight acting a drop while his jockeying arms prevented the unfortunate from loosening the rope. When he judged him dead he dropped to the ground.”

Ifs Writing Years Young Three Acting Arms Periods Promise Weight Victim Seven Settling Mature Judged Platforms Unfortunate Rope Seven Years Young Writers Hangman Nooses

Book:Enemies of Promise

Source: Enemies of Promise

“Beneath a mask of selfish tranquility nothing exists except bitterness and boredom.”

Selfish Boredom Mask Bitterness Tranquility Vacuous

Author:Cyril Connolly

“Melancholy and remorse form the deep leaden keel which enables us to sail into the wind of reality; we run aground sooner than the flat-bottomed pleasure-lovers but we venture out in weather that would sink them and we choose our direction.”

Reality Running Form Pleasure Wind Lovers Weather Flats Melancholy Sail Venture Remorse Keel

Author:Cyril Connolly

“The refractory pupil of Socrates, Aristippus the Cyrene, who believed happiness to be the sum of particular pleasures and golden moments and not, as Epicurus, a prolonged intermediary state between ecstasy and pain.”

States Moments Pain Pleasure Particular Golden Ecstasy Pupils Golden Moments

Book:Enemies of Promise

Source: Enemies of Promise

“It is after creation, in the elation of success, or the gloom of failure, that love becomes essential.”

Love Is Creation Essentials Gloom Elation

Book:Enemies of Promise

Source: Enemies of Promise

“Failure on the other hand is infectious. The world is full of charming failures (for all charming people have something to conceal, usually their total dependence on the appreciation of others) and unless the writer is quite ruthless with these amiable footlers, they will drag him down with them.”

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Book:Enemies of promise and other essays: an autobiography of ideas

Source: Enemies of promise and other essays: an autobiography of ideas

“Miserable Orpheus who, turning to lose his Eurydice, beholds her for the first time as well as the last.”

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Author:Cyril Connolly

“Flaubert spoke true: to succeed a great artist must have both character and fanaticism and few in this country are willing to pay the price. Our writers have either no personality and therefore no style or a false personality and therefore a bad style; they mistake prejudice for energy and accept the sensation of material well-being as a system of thought.”

“No-one was ever made wretched in a brothel.”

Made Wretched Brothels

Author:Cyril Connolly