John Cowper Powys citations

John Cowper Powys est un écrivain, conférencier et philosophe britannique .

✵ 8. octobre 1872 – 17. juin 1963
John Cowper Powys photo
John Cowper Powys: 62   citations 0   J'aime

John Cowper Powys citations célèbres

“La vérité n'a rien de grand. Elle est effrayante.”

Les Sables de la mer, 1934

Citations sur la vie de John Cowper Powys

“Le grand plaisir de la vie est dans l'attente.”

La Fosse aux chiens, 1952

John Cowper Powys Citations

“Quand on connaît les ficelles, plus de problèmes.”

La Fosse aux chiens, 1952

“On a tous parfois besoin de se faire gifler.”

Comme je l'entends, 1919

“L'art est une émotion, pas une sensation.”

Comme je l'entends, 1919

“Tout ce qui passe n'est que symbole.”

Les Sables de la mer, 1934

“La guerre n'a jamais vraiment de fin.”

Comme je l'entends, 1919

“Les pensées sont une chose. Les mots en sont une autre.”

La Fosse aux chiens, 1952

“Nous sommes tous à moitié morts et à moitié vivants.”

Les Sables de la mer, 1934

“Des gens satisfaits font des serviteurs dociles.”

Camp retranché, 1967

John Cowper Powys: Citations en anglais

“Even the most purely rational minds who find the universe in "pure thought" are driven against their rational will to visualize this "pure thought" and to give it body and form and shape and movement.”

Source: The Complex Vision (1920), Chapter I
Contexte: One of the curious psychological facts, in connection with the various ways in which various minds function, is the fact that when in these days we seek to visualize, in some pictorial manner, our ultimate view of life, the images which are called up are geometrical or chemical rather than anthropomorphic. It is probable that even the most rational and logical among us as soon as he begins to philosophize at all is compelled by the necessity of things to form in the mind some vague pictorial representation answering to his conception of the universe.
Most minds see the universe of their mental conception as something quite different from the actual stellar universe upon which we all gaze. Even the most purely rational minds who find the universe in "pure thought" are driven against their rational will to visualize this "pure thought" and to give it body and form and shape and movement.

“We are all creators. We all create a mythological world of our own out of certain shapeless materials.”

Source: The Meaning of Culture (1929), p. 222
Contexte: Not the wretchedest man or woman but has a deep secretive mythology with which to wrestle with the material world and to overcome it and pass beyond it. Not the wretchedest human being but has his share in the creative energy that builds the world. We are all creators. We all create a mythological world of our own out of certain shapeless materials.

“Love, in spite of all rational knowledge to the contrary, is always in the mood of believing in miracles.”

Source: The Meaning of Culture (1929), p. 170
Contexte: The influence of friendship upon culture differs from that of love, in that it assumes the basic idiosyncrasies of personal taste to be unalterable. Love, in spite of all rational knowledge to the contrary, is always in the mood of believing in miracles.

“We philosophize for the same reason that we move and speak and laugh and eat and love. In other words, we philosophize because man is a philosophical animal.… We may be as sceptical as we please. Our very scepticism is the confession of an implicit philosophy.”

Source: The Complex Vision (1920), Chapter I
Contexte: My answer to the question "Why do we philosophize?" is as follows. We philosophize for the same reason that we move and speak and laugh and eat and love. In other words, we philosophize because man is a philosophical animal.… We may be as sceptical as we please. Our very scepticism is the confession of an implicit philosophy.

“The eternal conflict between love and malice is the eternal contest between life and death. And this contest is what the complex vision reveals, as it moves from darkness to darkness.”

Source: The Complex Vision (1920), Chapter I
Contexte: This swallowing up of life in nothingness, this obliteration of life by nothingness is what the emotion of malice ultimately desires. The eternal conflict between love and malice is the eternal contest between life and death. And this contest is what the complex vision reveals, as it moves from darkness to darkness.

“It is strange how few people make more than a casual cult of enjoying Nature.”

John Cowper Powys livre A Glastonbury Romance

Source: The Meaning of Culture (1929), p. 178
Source: A Glastonbury Romance
Contexte: It is strange how few people make more than a casual cult of enjoying Nature. And yet the earth is actually and literally the mother of us all. One needs no strange spiritual faith to worship the earth.

“Ambition is the grand enemy of all peace.”

Source: The Meaning of Culture (1929), p. 140

“Man is the animal who weeps and laughs — and writes.”

If the first Prometheus brought fire from heaven in a fennel-stalk, the last will take it back — in a book.
The Pleasures of Literature (1938), p. 17

Auteurs similaires

George Orwell photo
George Orwell 27
écrivain britannique
Terry Pratchett photo
Terry Pratchett 82
écrivain britannique
Elias Canetti photo
Elias Canetti 8
écrivain britannique germanophone
Arthur Conan Doyle photo
Arthur Conan Doyle 15
écrivain et médecin écossais
Aldous Huxley photo
Aldous Huxley 43
Romancier et essayiste britannique
Vladimir Nabokov photo
Vladimir Nabokov 39
écrivain
Richard Dawkins photo
Richard Dawkins 8
biologiste et éthologiste britannique
Richard Bach photo
Richard Bach 8
écrivain américain
John Maynard Keynes photo
John Maynard Keynes 12
économiste britannique
Cesare Pavese photo
Cesare Pavese 6
écrivain italien