A big man is always accused of gluttony, whereas a wizened or osseous man can eat like a refugee at every meal, and no one ever notices his greed. Robertson Davies More Quotes by Robertson Davies More Quotes From Robertson Davies There are times when I think that the reading I have done in the past has had no effect except to cloud my mind and make me indecisive Robertson Davies reading past thinking Marriage is a framework to preserve friendship. It is valuable because it gives much more room to develop than just living together. It provides a base from which a person can work at understanding himself and another person. Robertson Davies understanding together giving The quality of what is said inevitably influences the way in which it is said, however inexperienced the writer. Robertson Davies quality inexperience way Imagination is a good horse to carry you over the ground - not a flying carpet to set you free from probability. Robertson Davies horse imagination art The ideal companion in bed is a good book. Robertson Davies companion bed book Are you going to be just kind of a walking monument to a job, or are you going to have some kind of really significant inner life of your own? Because the external things the job, the house, the this, the that do not really fill the place inside. Robertson Davies kind house jobs The Wild Hunt is known in all Celtic countries; it is a huntsman with a pack of hounds who is seen or heard to rush through the country. Those who see him are doomed to die. The writer heard the Wild Hunt quite distinctly one night in Wales several years ago, but has not suffered any ill effects from it as yet. Robertson Davies night country years The great charm of cats is their rampant egotism, their devil-may-care attitude toward responsibility, their disinclination to earn an honest dollar. Robertson Davies cat responsibility attitude I do not 'get' ideas; ideas get me Robertson Davies ideas The clerisy are those who seek, and find, delight and enlargement of life in books. The clerisy are those for whom reading is a personal art. Robertson Davies reading book art Secrets are the blood of life. Every big thing is a secret, even when you know it, because you never know all of it. If you can know everything about anything, it is not worth knowing. Robertson Davies knowing secret blood The wit of a graduate student is like champagne. Canadian champagne. Robertson Davies champagne graduates students Many authors write like amateur blacksmiths making their first horseshoe; the clank of the anvil, the stench of the scorched leather apron, the sparks and the cursing are palpable, and this appeals to those who rank "sincerity" very high. Nabokov is more like a master swordsmith making a fine blade; nothing is amiss, nothing is too much, there is no fuss, and the finished product must be handled with great care, or it will cut you badly. Robertson Davies cutting care writing Students today are a pretty solemn lot. One of the really notable achievements of the twentieth century has been to make the young old before their time. Robertson Davies achievement beauty today I think of the author as somebody who goes into the marketplace and puts down his rug and says, 'I will tell you a story' and then he passes the hat. Robertson Davies stories writing thinking The egotist is all surface; underneath is a pulpy mess and a lot of self-doubt. But the egoist may be yielding and even deferential in things he doesn't consider important; in anything that touches his core he is remorseless. Robertson Davies important self doubt Literary critics, however, frequently suffer from a curious belief that every author longs to extend the boundaries of literary art, wants to explore new dimensions of the human spirit, and if he doesn't, he should be ashamed of himself. Robertson Davies suffering want art Art is wine and experience is the brandy we distill from it. Robertson Davies alcohol wine art If you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness. Robertson Davies worry happy happiness Many a promising career has been wrecked by marrying the wrong sort of woman. Robertson Davies single-life careers inspirational
