“He suffers from one great literary defect, which is often found in lonely geniuses: he never knows when to stop.”

— W. H. Auden, book Forewords and Afterwords

On Søren Kierkegaard, in "A Knight of Doleful Countenance", p. 192
Forewords and Afterwords (1973)
Context: He suffers from one great literary defect, which is often found in lonely geniuses: he never knows when to stop. Lonely people are apt to fall in love with the sound of their own voice, as Narcissus fell in love with his reflection, not out of conceit but out of despair of finding another who will listen and respond.

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W. H. Auden122

Anglo-American poet 1907–1973

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