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Robertson Davies

Robertson Davies Quotes

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Famous Robertson Davies Quotes

“Do not suppose, however, that I intend to urge a diet of classics on anybody. I have seen such diets at work. I have known people who have actually read all, or almost all, the guaranteed Hundred Best Books. God save us from reading nothing but the best.”

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Book:The Merry Heart: Reflections on Reading, Writing, and the World of Books
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“In a government like ours, the Crown is the abiding and unshakable element in government; politicians may come and go, but the Crown remains and certain aspects of our system pertain to it which are not dependent on any political party. In this sense, the Crown is the consecrated spirit of Canada.”

MayGovernmentPoliticalSpiritCertainPartyPoliticianElementsAspectRemainsCanadaDependentLoyalCrownsPolitical PartiesComes And GoesAbidingUnshakable
Book:Hunting Stuart and The Voice of the People
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“Pessimism is a very easy way out because it is a short view of life. If you look at what is happening around us today, you can't help but feel that life is a terrible complexity of problems. But if you look back a few thousand years, you realize that we have advanced fantastically. If you take a long view, I do not see how you can be pessimistic about the future of mankind.”

IfsWayLifeFeelsYearsLooksLongHelpingProblemTodayLife IsEasyRealizingViewsMankindTerribleFutureThousandHappeningsComplexityPessimismThousand YearsPessimisticEasy WayFuture Of Mankind
Author:Robertson Davies
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“The whole world is burdened with young fogies. Old men with ossified minds are easily dealt with. But men who look young, act young, and everlastingly harp on the fact they are young, but who nevertheless think and act with a degree of caution which would be excessive in their grandfathers, are the curses of the world.”

ThinkingKnowsMenWorldMindLooksFactsWould BeYoungDegreesCurseOld ManGrandfatherNeverthelessCautionConservatismHarpsConserving
Author:Robertson Davies
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“Moderation, the Golden Mean, the Aristonmetron, is the secret of wisdom and of happiness. But it does not mean embracing an unadventurous mediocrity; rather it is an elaborate balancing act, a feat of intellectual skill demanding constant vigilance. Its aim is a reconciliation of opposites.”

MeanDoeSecretAcceptanceSkillsIntellectualOppositesHarmonyAimConstantGoldenMediocrityModerationReconciliationFeatsVigilanceBalancing ActGolden Mean
Book:Happy Alchemy: Writings on the Theatre and Other Lively Arts
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“"Children, don't speak so coarsely," said Mr Webster, who had a vague notion that some supervision should be exercised over his daughters' speech, and that a line should be drawn, but never knew quite when to draw it. He had allowed his daughters to use his library without restraint, and nothing is more fatal to maidenly delicacy of speech than the run of a good library.”

ShouldChildrenSaidUseRunningSpeakLinesSpeechDrawsDaughterNotionLibraryVagueRestraintEnglish LanguageLibrarianDelicacySupervision
Author:Robertson Davies
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“That was what stuck in the craws of all the good women of Deptford: Mrs Dempster had not been raped, as a decent woman would have been-no, she had yielded because a man wanted her. The subject was not one that could be freely discussed even among intimates, but it was understood without saying that if women began to yield for such reasons as that, marriage and society would not last long. Any man who spoke up for Mrs Dempster probably believed in Free Love. Certainly he associated sex with pleasure, and that put him in a class with filthy thinkers like Cece Athelstan.”

IfsMenLoveLongHas BeensReasonAgeWantedLastsSexPleasureClassSubjectsUnderstoodStuckDecentSpokesYieldThinkerFilthyGood WomanFree LoveDecent Woman
Book:Fifth business
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“I do not really like vacations. I much prefer an occasional day off when I do not feel like working. When I am confronted with a whole week in which I have nothing to do but enjoy myself I do not know where to begin. To me, enjoyment comes fleetingly and unheralded; I cannot determinedly enjoy myself for a whole week at a time.”

KnowsFeelsWholeEnjoyWeekEnjoymentVacationOccasionalDays Off
Book:The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks
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“Not enough attention is paid to the negative side of fashion. Great effort is exerted to make people look smart, but somebody should face the fact that a lot of people never will be smart, and that they should be given some assistance in maintaining their fascinating dowdiness.”

PeopleShouldLooksEnoughFactsFacesGivenSidesEffortAttentionFashionSmartNegativePaidFascinatingAssistanceMaintainingBeing SmartGreat Effort
Book:The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks
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