Max Beerbohm Quotes and Quotations
You cannot make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position you can make a crowd of men. The dullard's envy of brilliant men is always assuaged by the suspicion that they will come to a bad end. The past is a work of art, free of irrelevancies and loose ends. To mankind in general Macbeth and Lady Macbeth stand out as the supreme type of all that a host and hostess should not be. The past is a work of art, free of irrelevancies and loose ends. Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best. Humility is a virtue, and it is a virtue innate in guests. No fine work can be done without concentration and self-sacrifice and toil and doubt. I have known no man of genius who had not to pay, in some affliction or defect either physical or spiritual, for what the gods had given him. To give and then not feel that one has given is the very best of all ways of giving. The past is a work of art, free of irrelevancies and loose ends. Some people are born to lift heavy weights, some are born to juggle golden balls. There is much to be said for failure. It is more interesting than success.
|