American - Artist | June 10, 1928 - May 8, 2012
When I did 'Bumble-ardy,' I was so intensely aware of death. Eugene, my friend and partner, was dying here in the house when I did 'Bumble-ardy'. I did 'Bumble-ardy' to save myself. I did not want to die with him. I wanted to live, as any human being does.
Maurice Sendak
FriendLiveMyselfDeathPartner
You know who my gods are, who I believe in fervently? Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson - she's probably the top - Mozart, Shakespeare, Keats. These are wonderful gods who have gotten me through the narrow straits of life.
LifeMeBelieveYouKnowShe
I'm writing a poem right now about a nose. I've always wanted to write a poem about a nose. But it's a ludicrous subject. That's why, when I was younger, I was afraid of something that didn't make a lot of sense. But now I'm not. I have nothing to worry about. It doesn't matter.
WritingWorryNothingWhyMatter
I'm sick of 'Wild Things.'
SickWildThings
People from New York have been calling, to see if I'm still alive. When I answer the phone, you can hear the disappointment in their voice.
New YorkPeopleDisappointmentVoice
As a kid, all I thought about was death. But you can't tell your parents that.
DeathParentsThoughtYouKidTell
You can't write masterpieces in your 80s and be happy too.
HappyBe HappyYouWriteYourToo
My work is not great, but it's respectable. I have no false illusions.
WorkGreatFalseIllusions
I became a set designer for opera. I'm a great opera buff, I love classical music, and I needed a time-out.
LoveMusicGreatOperaSetDesigner
To get a child's trust - you may know or not - is a very hard thing to do. They're so used to not believing adults - because adults tell tales and lies all the time.
TimeTrustChildYouKnowBelieving
Most children - I know I did when I was a kid - fantasize another set of parents. Or fantasize no parents. They don't tell their real parents about that - you don't want to tell Mom and Dad. Kids lead a very private life. And I was a typical child, I think. I was a liar.
LifeChildrenLiarChildParents
I think people should be given a test much like driver's tests as to whether they're capable of being parents! It's an art form. I talk a lot. And I think a lot. And I draw a lot. But never in a million years would I have been a parent. That's just work that's too hard.
WorkArtParentsPeopleThinkTest
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