Noël Coward

Literary Birthday – 16 December – Noël Coward

Noël Coward was born 16 December 1899, and died 26 March 1973.

Noel Coward: Seven Glorious Quotes

  1. Wit ought to be a glorious treat like caviar; never spread it about like marmalade.
  2. It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.
  3. I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
  4. My importance to the world is relatively small. On the other hand, my importance to myself is tremendous. I am all I have to work with, to play with, to suffer and to enjoy. It is not the eyes of others that I am wary of, but of my own. I do not intend to let myself down more than I can possibly help, and I find that the fewer illusions I have about myself or the world around me, the better company I am for myself.
  5. What I adore is supreme professionalism. I’m bored by writers who can write only when it’s raining.
  6. Thousands of people have talent. I might as well congratulate you for having eyes in your head. The one and only thing that counts is: Do you have staying power?
  7. Having to read footnotes resembles having to go downstairs to answer the door while in the midst of making love.

Noël Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer. He was known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called “a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise”. His plays include Blithe Spirit, Hay Fever, and Private Lives.

Image

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Noel_Coward_Allan_warren_edit_1.jpg

Allan Warren, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Amanda Patterson by Amanda Patterson

Are you interested in more authors’ birthdays? Please click here: Literary Birthday Calendar

Posted on: 16th December 2012
(4,847 views)