Wilfrid Sheed Quotations

It is a fallacy to think that carping is the strongest form of criticism: the important work begins after the artist's mistakes have been pointed out, and the reviewer can't put it off indefinitely with sneers, although some neophytes might be tempted to try: "When in doubt, stick out your tongue" is a safe rule that never cost one any readers. But there's nothing strong about it, and it has nothing to do with the real business of criticism, which is to do justice to the best work of one's time, so that nothing gets lost.

I picked up the writing on the very day he died. It was the only consolation I could find.

Even the God of Calvin never judged anyone as harshly as married couples judge each other.

Suicide is about life, being in fact the sincerest form of criticism life gets.

Saloons provide moments of genuine ecstasy - but only if your soul is at peace and the rest of your life bears contemplating. Otherwise, they are palaces of misery.

The spiritual life becomes very simple when you're sick.

Of course, history is only a muddle of facts and a fuddle of professors, and anyone who thinks it is one clear voice saying "Arise, sir Knight" deserves a life sentence in Camelot.

Whether or not Big Brother is watching us, we certainly have to watch him, which may be even worse.

Mankind has always made too much of its saints and heroes, and how the latter handle the fuss might be called their final test.

People talk about talent as though it were some neutral substance that can be applied to anything. But talent is narrow and only functions with a very few subjects, which it is up to the writer to find.