“It would be more decorous not to live. To live is not decorous,
Says he who after many years
Returned to the city of his youth.”

—  Czeslaw Milosz

"City of My Youth" (1984)
Context: It would be more decorous not to live. To live is not decorous,
Says he who after many years
Returned to the city of his youth. There was no one left
Of those who once walked these streets
And now they had nothing, except his eyes.
Stumbling, he walked and looked, instead of them,
On the light they had loved, on the lilacs again in bloom.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "It would be more decorous not to live. To live is not decorous, Says he who after many years Returned to the city of …" by Czeslaw Milosz?
Czeslaw Milosz photo
Czeslaw Milosz106
Polish, poet, diplomat, prosaist, writer, and translator 1911–2004

Related quotes

“Think, Travel, Celebrate, Charm, Decorate, Dress, Live - colorfully”

Kate Spade (1962–2018) American fashion designer

Source: Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing Up Female

“Art is not merely a decorative enhancement of our lives but a sign of our desire to live in the world fully and honestly.”

Jan Zwicky (1955) Canadian philosopher

Governor Generals Award for Poetry, Nov. 1999.
Other

Muhammad al-Taqi photo

“Modesty is the decoration of poverty, thanks-giving is the decoration of affluence and wealth. Patience and endurance are the ornaments and decorations of calamities and distress. Humility is the decoration of lineage, and eloquence is the decoration of speech. Committing to memory is the decoration of tradition (hadīth), and bowing the shoulders is the decoration of knowledge. Decency and good morale is the decoration of the mind, and a smiling face is the decoration of munifence and generiosity. Not boasting of doing favours is the decoration of good deeds, and humility is the decoration of service. Spending less is the decoration of contentment, and abondoning the meaningless and unnecessary things is the decoration of abstention and fear of God.”

Muhammad al-Taqi (811–835) ninth of the Twelve Imams of Twelver Shi'ism

al-Shahid al-Tustari, Ihqaqul-Haq, vol.12, p. 434
General

Terry Pratchett photo

“… a metaphor… is like lying but more decorative.”

Terry Pratchett book Guards! Guards!

Source: Guards! Guards!

Frank Stella photo

“The aim of art is to create space - space that is not compromised by decoration or illustration, space within which the subjects of painting can live.”

Frank Stella (1936) American artist

Quoted in: Alan D. Bryce (2007) Art Smart: Art Smart: The Intelligent Guide to Investing in the Canadian Art Market. p. 55
Quotes, 1971 - 2000

William Wordsworth photo

“Pictures deface walls more often than they decorate them.”

William Wordsworth (1770–1850) English Romantic poet

This is only a slightly misquoted version of "Pictures deface walls oftener than they decorate them", written by Frank Lloyd Wright in the magazine Architectural Record in March 1908.
Misattributed

Antonio Llidó photo

“After the military coup, he was advised to return to his native land. He responded that he would not leave. In the hour of such hardship, he would not abandon the modest people with whom he had lived. He wished to share their lot. Still, shortly after the coup he was forced to leave the area because the military were looking for him, to kill him just as they looked for so many people. All of us who lived in Chile in those years bear witness of that fact. He went to Santiago, where he continued helping people who were fleeing. He fled with those who were fleeing. Even though he himself was in danger, he continued helping others who were persecuted. Once more, he was counseled to leave Chile, and once more he chose to stay and run the same fate shared by the poor and persecuted.”

Antonio Llidó (1936–1974) Spanish priest

Statements made by Fr. Jesus Rodriguez in an interview with Memory and Justice Chile Organisation on June 19, 2003. http://www.memoriayjusticia.cl/english/en_focus-llido.html#A%20Priest

Anthony Trollope photo

“She well knew the great architectural secret of decorating her constructions, and never descended to construct a decoration.”

Anthony Trollope book Barchester Towers

Source: Barchester Towers (1857), Ch. 9

John Henry Newman photo

“After he had gone over the mansion, his entertainer asked him what he thought of the splendours it contained; and he in reply did full justice to the riches of its owner and the skill of its decorators, but he added, "Lions would have fared better, had lions been the artists."”

John Henry Newman (1801–1890) English cleric and cardinal

Lecture I, Section 1.
Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England (1851)

Related topics