Dame Edith Sitwell Quotes

A collection of quotes by Dame Edith Sitwell.

Dame Edith Sitwell (1887-1964) was a prominent British poet, critic, and novelist. As a member of the Sitwell literary family, she established herself as a key figure in the modernist poetry movement of the early 20th century. Known for her distinctive visual and auditory style, Sitwell's poetry juxtaposed traditional forms with innovative techniques, often exploring themes of existentialism and myth. Alongside her writing career, she actively supported and promoted emerging artists, musicians, and poets. Her notable works include "The Sleeping Beauty" (1924), "Facade" (1922), and "Gold Coast Customs" (1929). Her contribution to literature earned her numerous accolades and cemented her place in British literary history.

I am patient with stupidity, but not with those who are prou

I am patient with stupidity, but not with those who are proud of it.

Dame Edith Sitwell


Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a

Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.

Dame Edith Sitwell

Madness

My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and sil

My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence.

Dame Edith Sitwell

Silence

Hot water is my native element. I was in it as a baby, and I

Hot water is my native element. I was in it as a baby, and I have never seemed to get out of it ever since.

Dame Edith Sitwell

Justice

Good taste is the worst vice ever invented.

Good taste is the worst vice ever invented.

Dame Edith Sitwell

Style

Vulgarity is, in reality, nothing but a modern, chic, pert d

Vulgarity is, in reality, nothing but a modern, chic, pert descendant of the goddess Dullness.

Dame Edith Sitwell

Profanity Vulgarity

I'm not the man to balk at a low smell, I not the man to ins

I'm not the man to balk at a low smell, I not the man to insist on asphodel. This sounds like a He-fellow, don't you think? It sounds like that. I belch, I bawl, I drink.

Dame Edith Sitwell

Men

Still falls the rain -- dark as the world of man, black as o

Still falls the rain -- dark as the world of man, black as our loss -- blind as the nineteen hundred and forty nails upon the Cross.

Dame Edith Sitwell

Water

I have often wished I had time to cultivate modesty. But I a

I have often wished I had time to cultivate modesty. But I am too busy thinking about myself.

Dame Edith Sitwell

Humility

The poet speaks to all men of that other life of theirs that

The poet speaks to all men of that other life of theirs that they have smothered and forgotten.

Dame Edith Sitwell

Poetry