63 Quotes by Brendan Behan
Brendan Behan, born on February 9, 1923, in Dublin, Ireland, was a renowned Irish writer and playwright whose works reflected the complexities of Irish identity and the struggles of his generation. Behan's sharp wit, vibrant storytelling, and powerful use of language brought his characters and their experiences to life on stage and in his writings.
His most famous play, "The Quare Fellow," explored themes of justice, morality, and the harsh realities of prison life. Behan's ability to infuse his work with humor, satire, and poignant social commentary established him as a significant figure in Irish literature. His writing often delved into the political landscape of Ireland and the broader context of the working-class struggle.
Beyond his literary contributions, Behan's personal life, marked by his involvement in the Irish Republican Army and his struggles with alcoholism, added another layer of complexity to his legacy. Brendan Behan's impact as a dramatist and his unique perspective on Irish society continue to resonate, making him a revered figure in the world of literature.
Brendan Behan Quotes
New York is my Lourdes, where I go for spiritual refreshment... a place where you're least likely to be bitten by a wild goat.
The most important things to do in the world are to get something to eat, something to drink and somebody to love you.
It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect for everything and everybody.
I have never seen a situation so dismal that a policeman couldn't make it worse.
I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper and the old men and old women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer.
They took away our land, our language, and our religion; but they could never harness our tongues.
The terrorist is the one with the small bomb.
I only take a drink on two occasions - when I'm thirsty and when I'm not.
Other people have a nationality. The Irish and the Jews have a psychosis.
The only thing I envy in young people is their livers.
The English and Americans dislike only some Irish--the same Irish that the Irish themselves detest, Irish writers--the ones that think.
Ah, bless you, Sister, may all your sons be bishops.
Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how it's done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves.
An author's first duty is to let down his country.
There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.
I am a drinker with writing problems.
I'm a Communist by day and a Catholic as soon as it gets dark.
Whatever you hold in contempt is your jailer. (Meaning)
Nothing hurts more than the friendly letter that one never got around to writing.
One drink is to many for me and a thousand not enough.
The big difference between sex for money and sex for free is that sex for money usually costs a lot less.
Every cripple has his own way of walking.
I am married to Beatrice Salkeld, a painter. We have no children, except me.
Shakespeare said pretty well everything and what he left out, James Joyce, with a judge from meself, put in.
I saw a notice that said "Drink Canada Dry" and I've just started.
Failure at a task may be the result of having tackled it at the wrong time.
Other people's interruptions of your work are relatively insignificant compared with the countless times you interrupt yourself.
Many a man has decided to stay alive not because of the will to live but because of the determination not to give assorted surviving bastards the satisfaction of his death.
I think weddings are sadder than funerals, because they remind you of your own wedding. You can't be reminded of your own funeral because it hasn't happened. But weddings always make me cry.
Most horror movies are certainly that.
To get enough to eat was regarded as an achievement. To get drunk was a victory.
It is a good deed to forget a poor joke
The Bible was a consolation to a fellow alone in the old cell. The lovely thin paper with a bit of matress stuffing in it, if you could get a match, was as good a smoke as I ever tasted.
I am a daylight atheist.
No man can discover his own talents.
Message? What the hell do you think I am, a bloody postman?
If it was raining soup, the Irish would go out with forks.
If you accept your limitations you go beyond them.
When two men fight over a woman it's the fight they want, not the woman.
He was born an Englishman and remained one for years.
Prostitutes, more than any other profession, help keep American marriages together.
Scream at God if that's the only thing that will get results.
All publicity is good, except an obituary notice.
There's no bad publicity except an obituary.
I cannot imagine any crime worse than taking a life, can you? -It'd depend whose life.
There is no human situation so miserable that it cannot be made worse by the presence of a policeman.
Critics are like eunuchs; they can tell you what to do, but they can't do it themselves!
I ruined my health drinking to other people's.
God forgive us-but most of us grew up to be the sort of men our mothers warned us against.
A pedestrian ought to be legally allowed to toss at least one hand grenade at a motorist every day.
When I'm talking to people I like to stop and quote myself. My quotes have a way of spicing up conversation.
A man is fortunate if he encounters living examples of vice, as well as of virtue, to inspire him.
In a society which really supported marriage the wife would be encouraged to go to the office and make love to her husband on the company's time and with its blessing.
There's no one, no one, loves you like yourself.
I wish I'd been a mixed infant.
What the hell difference does it make, left or right? There were good men lost on both sides.
Pound notes are the best religion in the world.
The sun was in mind to come out but having a look at the weather it was in lost heart and went back again.
A general and a bit of shooting makes you forget your troubles ... it takes your mind off the cost of living.
Ninety-seven saint days a year wouldn't affect the theater, but two Yom Kippurs would ruin it.
I'm a drinker with a writing problem.
That you, sister. May you be the mother of a bishop.
You made one mistake. You married me.
― Brendan Behan Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
