Edmund White Quotes

A collection of quotes by Edmund White.

Edmund White is an acclaimed American writer and literary critic, known for his works exploring themes of sexuality, identity, and gay culture. He was born on January 13, 1940, in Cincinnati, Ohio. White has authored numerous novels, including "A Boy's Own Story" and "The Farewell Symphony," as well as autobiographical works such as "The Beautiful Room Is Empty" and "City Boy". His writing is celebrated for its nuanced depiction of gay life and its impact on society. White's contributions to the LGBTQ+ literary canon have earned him widespread recognition and numerous awards, solidifying his place as a significant figure in contemporary American literature.

The notion that I might have been able to court friends, win

The notion that I might have been able to court friends, win attention, conjure it, would have spoiled it for me. Unbidden love was what I wanted.

Love

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the onset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have a malady in the less attractive forms.

Charles Dickens

Dad

I am, I must confess, suspicious of those who denounce other

I am, I must confess, suspicious of those who denounce others for having too much sex. At what point does a healthy amount become too much? There are, of course, those who suffer because their desire for sex has become compulsive; in their case the drive (loneliness, guilt) is at fault, not the activity as such. When morality is discussed I invariably discover, halfway into the conversation, that what is meant are not the great ethical questions but the rather dreary business of sexual habit, which to my mind is an aesthetic rather than an ethical issue.

Sex

The AIDS epidemic has rolled back a big rotting log and reve

The AIDS epidemic has rolled back a big rotting log and revealed all the squirming life underneath it, since it involves, all at once, the main themes of our existence: sex, death, power, money, love, hate, disease and panic. No American phenomenon has been so compelling since the Vietnam War.

Aids