Philip Larkin Quotes

Far too many relied on the classic formula of a beginning, a muddle, and an end.

That vast moth-eaten musical brocade Created to pretend we never die.

That sure extinction that we travel to And shall be lost in always. Not to be here, Not to be anywhere, And soon; nothing more terrible, nothing more true.

And beyond it, the deep blue air, that shows Nothing, and is nowhere, and is endless.

You can’t put off being young until you retire, And however you bank your screw, the money you save Won’t in the end buy you more than a shave.

I should never call myself a book lover, any more than a people lover: it all depends what’s inside them.