To appreciate Lawrence's work, one must strictly adhere to the famous aphorism of Art for Art's sake coined by the Late 19th Century Decadents. He was known to be a fascist, and some critics can prove he was also sexist, racist, and bigoted against other religions. Though in the minority compared to other more inclusive famous writers of the time, there were too many of his artistic contemporaries who shared these ugly views despite the beauty of their creative output.

There is a funny anecdote (whether true or not) that when Lawrence's ashes were brought back to be interred in New Mexico, the lover of his last wife Frieda accidentally (or on purpose) dumped them out and replaced them with someone else's ashes.