I strove with none, for none was worth my strife;
Reason I loved, and, next to Reason, Doubt;
I warmed both hands before the fire of life;
And put it out.
First published in the New Statesman on 6 August 1938
“The New Statesman Century”, an anthology of some of the best and boldest articles from the magazine’s history, is published on 18 July. For more information, go to: newstatesman.com/century