Machines have no political opinions, but they have profound political effects. They demand a strict regimentation of time, and, by abolishing the need for manual skill, have transformed the majority of the population from workers into laborers. There are, that is to say, fewer and fewer jobs which a man can find a pride and satisfaction in doing well, more and more which have no interest in themselves and can be valued only for the money they provide.
W. H. AudenDesire, even in its wildest tantrums, can neither persuade me it is love nor stop me from wishing it were.
W. H. AudenI'll love you till the ocean Is folded and hung up to dry And the seven stars go squawking Like geese about the sky.
W. H. AudenBefore people complain of the obscurity of modern poetry, they should first examine their consciences and ask themselves with how many people and on how many occasions they have genuinely and profoundly shared some experience with another...
W. H. Auden