Rebecca West — People

A copy of the universe is not what is required of art; one of the damned things is ample.

Rebecca West

All good biography, as all good fiction, comes down to the study of original sin, of our inherent disposition to choose death when we ought to choose life.

Rebecca West

An upright woven doormat with muddy blue boots and scattered soil in front on a yellow background. — Original artwork

I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.

Rebecca West

Painterly pale stone and terracotta hands reaching towards each other across a small gap. — Original artwork

International relationships are … preordained to be clumsy gestures based on imperfect knowledge.

Rebecca West

Painterly wooden toy horse on wheels with its side compartment open to reveal small bundled items. — Original artwork

Motherhood is the strangest thing, it can be like being one’s own Trojan horse.

Rebecca West

Motherhood is the strangest thing, it can be like being one's own Trojan horse. letter, Aug. 20, 1959. quoted in Victoria Glendinning, Rebecca West: A Life, pt. 5, ch. 8 (1987).

Rebecca West

The main difference between men and women is that men are lunatics and women are idiots.

Rebecca West