"She was nervous about the future; it made her indelicate. She was one of the most unimportantly wicked women of her time --because she could not let her time alone, and yet could never be a part of it. She wanted to be the reason for everything and so was the cause of nothing. She had the fluency of tongue and action meted out by divine providence to those who cannot think for themselves. She was the master of the over-sweet phrase, the over-tight embrace."

9 likes

Source: Djuna Barnes, Thomas Stearns Eliot (2006). “Nightwood”, p.74, New Directions Publishing

About the author

Djuna Barnes

Author, Poet

Djuna Barnes was an influential American writer known for her modernist works, particularly 'Nightwood', which explores themes of love and identity.

All quotes by Djuna Barnes →

Same author

More quotes by Djuna Barnes

See all →
Djuna Barnes Author, Poet

"I am not a critic; to me criticism is so often nothing more than the eye garrulously denouncing the shape of the peephole that gives access to hidden treasure."

Read quote