I'm terrified of the thought of time passing (or whatever is meant by that phrase) whether I 'do' anything or not. In a way I may believe, deep down, that doing nothing acts as a brake on 'time's - it doesn't of course. It merely adds the torment of having done nothing, when the time comes when it really doesn't matter if you've done anything or not.

About This Quote

About Philip Larkin

Philip Larkin was a 20th-century English poet, novelist and librarian. Philip Arthur Larkin was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, The North Ship, was published in 1945, followed by two novels, Jill (1946) and A Girl in Winter (1947). Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • Death — Contemplations on mortality, loss, and the legacy we leave

More quotes by Philip Larkin

Related Quotes