Creative Quotations from John Betjeman (1906-1984)

Creative Quotations from . . .

John Betjeman
(1906-1984) born on Apr 06

English "poet, broadcaster, and writer on architecture". "He was the English Poet Laureate, 1972-1984; nostalgic and wary of change, he preferred the countryside to the city, and was impassioned in his abhorrence of modern architecture."

People's backyards are much more interesting than their front gardens, and houses that back on to railways are public benefactors."

"And now, dear Lord, I cannot wait
Because I have a luncheon date."

"Too many people in the modern world view poetry as a luxury, not a necessity like petrol. But to me it's the oil of life."

I know what I wanted to ask you;
Is trifle sufficient for sweet?

Now if the harvest is over
And the world cold
Give me the bonus of laughter
As I lose hold.

Published Sources for the above Quotations:
F:	"In "Observer" (London), 20 Mar 1983."
R:	"In London "Church Times," 25 May 1984."
A:	"In "The Observer," 'Sayings of the Year', 1974."
N:	""How to get on in Society.""
K:	"From "A Nip in the Air," Norton 76, recalled on his death; in "Time," 28 May 1984."