The Profession Of Being
An appreciation of Quentin as a Teacher and Moral Philosopher
By Heather Kelly
“If I have any talent at all, it is not for doing but for being.” Quentin Crisp.
Thirty years ago it would have seemed bizarre to describe a former homosexual prostitute as a moral philosopher but this no longer seems so inappropriate in the case of Quentin Crisp.
The word “philosophy” was first used by the Greeks to mean the love of knowledge or wisdom. There are many branches of philosophy but the most interesting one is ethics or moral philosophy, the concern of the moral philosopher is with understanding and elucidation of moral concepts. Given this definition it is clear that Quentin Crisp was not only a philosopher but also one of the most unique moralists of our time. He was no cosseted Ivory Tower academic, contemplating his naval or writing learned tomes that bore scant relation to everyday life. Instead he lived by his own philosophy of life, which he elucidated though his books and one-man shows, bringing his ethics to the people. I know it’s a hoary old chestnut but I think “To Thy Own Self Be True” never applied so appropriately to anyone other than Quentin. In his own words he wrote, “From the age of twenty eight, I never did anything that I didn’t want to do.”
Ethics is a code or set of principles by which people live and Quentin certainly lived by his own ethical code although he claimed to have no interest in philosophy and morals. He wrote, “manners are not morals”and stated “I cannot say that I have ever refrained from taking any course of action on the ground that it was wrong or illegal or immoral.” But although dismissive of the stable, established philosophical principles, Quentin had formulated his own unique ethics based on good manners, radically different from conventional morality. He illustrated the distinction between the moral person and the well-mannered one when it comes to lying. “The lie is the basic building block of good manners”. “A well-mannered person could hardly survive a single day without telling a few lies”, whereas “A moralist must always tell the truth.”
After the great success of the tv production of “The Naked Civil Servant” in 1975, Quentin had the chance to bring his ideas to the general public and he set about this self appointed task with a will through his books and public appearances. He became a teacher of his own philosophy, “Crisperanto”, which he introduces in “Manners from Heaven”. Crisperanto is the art of “using manners to improve the quality of life by behaving with imaginative courtesy towards others.” “Manners, remember, are a way of getting what we want without appearing to be an absolute swine.”Quentin taught that we should learn to be indifferent to external influences. Here he echoes the philosophy of Stoicism for whom this was a basic tenet. Quentin also shared the Stoic idea that essential character cannot be destroyed by external events.Though no one should deny his dependence on others, development of character consists solely in moving towards self-sufficiency. “The great trick with life is not to become like other people but to become more like yourself.” Nevertheless Quentin also recognised the need for guides to help one along this path towards self-sufficiency and here again he echoed the Stoics. “It highly concerns us to take along with us a skilful guide”, and “Good counsel is the most needful service we can do to mankind.” Both quotes are from the Roman Stoic Seneca.
Perhaps the richest sources for Quentin’s philosophy and teaching lie in his book “How To Have A Life-Style” and his one-man shows. No one was better equipped than Quentin to teach about style for he was style personified. “He tells who had it, who has it, why you need it, and how to get it.” “Style is not the man, it is something better. It is a dizzy, dazzling structure that he erects about himself, using as building materials selected elements from his own character.” “True style changes less and less as it moves toward its perfection and, once complete, is unalterable by outward circumstances or even by time itself. “You have to polish up your raw identity into a life-style so that you can barter with the outside world for what you want.” Quentin taught that the true stylist lives “for living’s sake”- with style. When one attains his true style one enters the profession of being. All we need to do is to reform ourselves and adapt a life style with which “you can do barter with the outer world to get from it what you want. I won’t say what you deserve because if we all got what we deserve we would starve.” “Stylists are not interesting for what they write or for what they do but for something that they are.”
Quentin premiered his one-man show, “An Evening With Quentin Crisp” at the Edinburgh Festival in 1976 and he went on performing it until his death in 1999.Here we see Quentin, the skilful guide, in his element. He had a message for his audience, “I really am here to cure you of your freedom because I am sure that it is an excess of freedom that makes the world so unhappy …What has made everybody so angry is the element which has been added to their lives in recent times-their freedom.” Quentin’s cure for this is to urge everyone to adopt chains of their own making, chains, which will guide all their actions. He has several messages of hope, “Never sweep the place where you live because, after the first four years, the dirt doesn’t get any worse. It’s just a question of not losing your nerve.” And secondly one of his most quoted phrases, “Never try to keep up with the Joneses, drag them down to your level – it’s cheaper.” He said, “Try to regard your home as your dressing room and the world as your stage.” So we are to polish up our life styles at home before appearing in public. Furthermore we are to eliminate from our homes all superfluous things and then all unnecessary actions, anything which will detract from our chosen style has got to go. Each of the performances of this show ended with a question and answer section. This gave Quentin scope to discuss matters like the existence of God. “I’m unable to believe in a god susceptible to prayer as petition”.
I think there can be doubt than Quentin Crisp was a philosopher, a truly unique thinker who was able to express his own philosophy of life in an entertaining way. Unlike most moralists he not only espoused his own code of ethics but also actually lived by it. His teachings have still as much, if not more, relevance today and his philosophy has inspired people from all walks of life throughout the world.
Also read Heather's An appreciation of Quentin as a movie critic
Also read Heather's Favourite Books and Quotes
Heather S Kelly B.A.(Hons.) M.A.
Ireland
12 September 2008
“If I have any talent at all, it is not for doing but for being.” Quentin Crisp.
Thirty years ago it would have seemed bizarre to describe a former homosexual prostitute as a moral philosopher but this no longer seems so inappropriate in the case of Quentin Crisp.
The word “philosophy” was first used by the Greeks to mean the love of knowledge or wisdom. There are many branches of philosophy but the most interesting one is ethics or moral philosophy, the concern of the moral philosopher is with understanding and elucidation of moral concepts. Given this definition it is clear that Quentin Crisp was not only a philosopher but also one of the most unique moralists of our time. He was no cosseted Ivory Tower academic, contemplating his naval or writing learned tomes that bore scant relation to everyday life. Instead he lived by his own philosophy of life, which he elucidated though his books and one-man shows, bringing his ethics to the people. I know it’s a hoary old chestnut but I think “To Thy Own Self Be True” never applied so appropriately to anyone other than Quentin. In his own words he wrote, “From the age of twenty eight, I never did anything that I didn’t want to do.”
Ethics is a code or set of principles by which people live and Quentin certainly lived by his own ethical code although he claimed to have no interest in philosophy and morals. He wrote, “manners are not morals”and stated “I cannot say that I have ever refrained from taking any course of action on the ground that it was wrong or illegal or immoral.” But although dismissive of the stable, established philosophical principles, Quentin had formulated his own unique ethics based on good manners, radically different from conventional morality. He illustrated the distinction between the moral person and the well-mannered one when it comes to lying. “The lie is the basic building block of good manners”. “A well-mannered person could hardly survive a single day without telling a few lies”, whereas “A moralist must always tell the truth.”
After the great success of the tv production of “The Naked Civil Servant” in 1975, Quentin had the chance to bring his ideas to the general public and he set about this self appointed task with a will through his books and public appearances. He became a teacher of his own philosophy, “Crisperanto”, which he introduces in “Manners from Heaven”. Crisperanto is the art of “using manners to improve the quality of life by behaving with imaginative courtesy towards others.” “Manners, remember, are a way of getting what we want without appearing to be an absolute swine.”Quentin taught that we should learn to be indifferent to external influences. Here he echoes the philosophy of Stoicism for whom this was a basic tenet. Quentin also shared the Stoic idea that essential character cannot be destroyed by external events.Though no one should deny his dependence on others, development of character consists solely in moving towards self-sufficiency. “The great trick with life is not to become like other people but to become more like yourself.” Nevertheless Quentin also recognised the need for guides to help one along this path towards self-sufficiency and here again he echoed the Stoics. “It highly concerns us to take along with us a skilful guide”, and “Good counsel is the most needful service we can do to mankind.” Both quotes are from the Roman Stoic Seneca.
Perhaps the richest sources for Quentin’s philosophy and teaching lie in his book “How To Have A Life-Style” and his one-man shows. No one was better equipped than Quentin to teach about style for he was style personified. “He tells who had it, who has it, why you need it, and how to get it.” “Style is not the man, it is something better. It is a dizzy, dazzling structure that he erects about himself, using as building materials selected elements from his own character.” “True style changes less and less as it moves toward its perfection and, once complete, is unalterable by outward circumstances or even by time itself. “You have to polish up your raw identity into a life-style so that you can barter with the outside world for what you want.” Quentin taught that the true stylist lives “for living’s sake”- with style. When one attains his true style one enters the profession of being. All we need to do is to reform ourselves and adapt a life style with which “you can do barter with the outer world to get from it what you want. I won’t say what you deserve because if we all got what we deserve we would starve.” “Stylists are not interesting for what they write or for what they do but for something that they are.”
Quentin premiered his one-man show, “An Evening With Quentin Crisp” at the Edinburgh Festival in 1976 and he went on performing it until his death in 1999.Here we see Quentin, the skilful guide, in his element. He had a message for his audience, “I really am here to cure you of your freedom because I am sure that it is an excess of freedom that makes the world so unhappy …What has made everybody so angry is the element which has been added to their lives in recent times-their freedom.” Quentin’s cure for this is to urge everyone to adopt chains of their own making, chains, which will guide all their actions. He has several messages of hope, “Never sweep the place where you live because, after the first four years, the dirt doesn’t get any worse. It’s just a question of not losing your nerve.” And secondly one of his most quoted phrases, “Never try to keep up with the Joneses, drag them down to your level – it’s cheaper.” He said, “Try to regard your home as your dressing room and the world as your stage.” So we are to polish up our life styles at home before appearing in public. Furthermore we are to eliminate from our homes all superfluous things and then all unnecessary actions, anything which will detract from our chosen style has got to go. Each of the performances of this show ended with a question and answer section. This gave Quentin scope to discuss matters like the existence of God. “I’m unable to believe in a god susceptible to prayer as petition”.
I think there can be doubt than Quentin Crisp was a philosopher, a truly unique thinker who was able to express his own philosophy of life in an entertaining way. Unlike most moralists he not only espoused his own code of ethics but also actually lived by it. His teachings have still as much, if not more, relevance today and his philosophy has inspired people from all walks of life throughout the world.
Also read Heather's An appreciation of Quentin as a movie critic
Also read Heather's Favourite Books and Quotes
Heather S Kelly B.A.(Hons.) M.A.
Ireland
12 September 2008