Noël Coward, fully titled Sir Noël Peirce Coward, was an esteemed English playwright, actor and composer born on December 16, 1899, in Teddington, England and passed away on March 26, 1973, in Jamaica.
Renowned for his elegant comedies of manners, Coward began his acting career at the age of 12.
He penned light comedies such as “I’ll Leave It to You” and “The Young Idea,” but it was “The Vortex” in 1924 that cemented his reputation as a playwright.
Other notable works include “Hay Fever,” “Bitter Sweet,” “Private Lives,” “Design for Living,” and “Cavalcade.”
He collaborated with Gertrude Lawrence frequently, adapting one of their plays into the film “Brief Encounter.”
Coward’s style encapsulated the sentiments and speech of the post-World War I generation.
Furthremore he wrote novels, verses and autobiographical works. His distinguished career led to his knighthood in 1970. In 2007, a previously unpublished play, “The Better Half,” was found and a collection of his letters was published.
I have picked the best quotes from Noel Coward in this article.
Best Noel Coward Quotes
Marriage is the aftermath of love. ~ Noel Coward.
Success took me to her bosom like a maternal boa constrictor. ~ Noel Coward.
My body has certainly wandered a good deal, but I have an uneasy suspicion that my mind has not wandered enough. ~ Noel Coward.
Your motivation is your pay packet on Friday. Now get on with it. ~ Noel Coward.
Wit ought to be a glorious treat like caviar; never spread it about like marmalade. ~ Noel Coward.
Just say the lines and don’t trip over the furniture. ~ Noel Coward.
Television is for appearing on, not looking at. ~ Noel Coward.
He’s completely unspoiled by failure. ~ Noel Coward.
Motivational Noel Coward Quotes
I love criticism just so long as it’s unqualified praise. ~ Noel Coward.
Extraordinary how potent cheap music is. ~ Noël Coward
If you must have motivation, think of your paycheck on Friday. ~ Noel Coward.
It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. ~ Noel Coward.
Thousands of people have talent. I might as well congratulate you for having eyes in your head. The one and only thing that counts is: Do you have staying power? ~ Noel Coward.
Mona Lisa looks as if she has just been sick, or is about to be. ~ Noel Coward.
Let’s drink to the spirit of gallantry and courage that made a strange Heaven out of unbelievable Hell, and let’s drink to the hope that one day this country of ours, which we love so much, will find dignity and greatness and peace again. ~ Noel Coward.
There’s always something fishy about the French. ~ Noel Coward.
Squash – that’s not exercise, it’s flagellation. ~ Noel Coward.
The higher the building the lower the morals. ~ Noel Coward.
Inspiring Noel Coward Quotes
Never mind, dear, we’re all made the same, though some more than others. ~ Noel Coward.
We have no reliable guarantee that the afterlife will be any less exasperating than this one, have we? ~ Noel Coward.
It’s never too early for a cocktail. ~ Noel Coward.
I have a memory like an elephant. In fact, elephants often consult me. ~ Noel Coward.
I don’t believe in astrology. The only stars I can blame for my failures are those that walk about the stage. ~ Noel Coward.
Wouldn’t it be dreadful to live in a country where they didn’t have tea? ~ Noel Coward.
Work is much more fun than fun. ~ Noel Coward.
Goodnight my darlings, I’ll see you tomorrow. ~ Noel Coward.
I’m not a heavy drinker, I can sometimes go for hours without touching a drop. ~ Noel Coward.
People are wrong when they say opera is not what it used to be. It is what it used to be. That is what’s wrong with it. ~ Noel Coward.
Inspirational Noel Coward Quotes
I’ve sometimes thought of marrying – and then I’ve thought again. ~ Noel Coward.
I have always paid income tax. I object only when it reaches a stage when I am threatened with having nothing left for my old age – which is due to start next Tuesday or Wednesday. ~ Noel Coward.
I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. ~ Noel Coward.
I’ll go through life either first class or third, but never in second. ~ Noel Coward.
How foolish to think that one can ever slam the door in the face of age. Much wiser to be polite and gracious and ask him to lunch in advance. ~ Noel Coward.
A perfect martini should be made by filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy. ~ Noel Coward.
That strange feeling we had in the war. Have you found anything in your lives since to equal it in strength? A sort of splendid carelessness it was, holding us together. ~ Noel Coward.
Famous Noel Coward Quotes
I will accept anything in the theatre . . . provided it amuses or moves me. But if it does neither, I want to go home. ~ Noel Coward.
Work hard, do the best you can, don’t ever lose faith in yourself and take no notice of what other people say about you. ~ Noel Coward.
Never trust a man with short legs. His brains are too near his bottom. ~ Noel Coward.
Familiarity breeds contempt, but without a little familiarity it’s impossible to breed anything. ~ Noel Coward.
Someday I suspect, when Jesus has definitely got me for a sunbeam, my works may be adequately assessed. ~ Noel Coward.
