Jean Cocteau

"An artist cannot speak about his art any more than a plant can discuss horticulture."

"Emotion resulting from a work of art is only of value when it is not obtained by sentimental blackmail."

"An original artist is unable to copy. So he has only to copy in order to be original."

"Art is not a pastime but a priesthood."

"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time."

"The extreme limit of wisdom, that's what the public calls madness."

"A film is a petrified fountain of thought."

"A true poet does not bother to be poetical. Nor does a nursery gardener scent his roses."

"All good music resembles something. Good music stirs by its mysterious resemblance to the objects and feelings which motivated it."

"I have a piece of great and sad news to tell you: I am dead."

"Life is a horizontal fall."

"Poetry is indispensable - if I only knew what for."

"Since the day of my birth, my death began its walk. It is walking toward me, without hurrying."

"The actual tragedies of life bear no relation to one's preconceived ideas. In the event, one is always bewildered by their simplicity, their grandeur of design, and by that element of the bizarre which seems inherent in them."

"The instinct of nearly all societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free. First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too, the finish by loading honors on your head."

"The poet doesn't invent. He listens."

"The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth."

"We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like?"

"You've never seen death? Look in the mirror every day and you will see it like bees working in a glass hive."