Quotessence
Home / Authors / William Bolitho Books

William Bolitho Books

Author

Related Quotes

“The truth is that he (Casanova) had ceased subtly to be an adventurer to become a noisy scoundrel, or if that is too harsh, that he had no longer the irresistible charm of being the world’s best loser. He was always greedy. Now he was grasping. He was always noticeable. Now he was loud. He had become without knowing it a social man, desperately interested in the stability of his own position which he tried, without knowing how to do it, to link up with the stability of society. He had become a fortune hunter, and shrank from the quest of chance; the supernatural shine had left his eyes. Men saw in him no longer Puck, but a rival.”

AdventureCasanova
Book:Twelve Against the Gods
Create image

“Nevertheless this was the problem Casanova solved. His prime secret is in his own words. “ I have always believed that when a man gets it into his head to do something, and when he exclusively occupies himself in that design, he must succeed whatever the difficulties. That man will become Grand Vizier or Pope. He will upset a dynasty, provided he starts young and has the brain and perseverance necessary. For when a man has arrived at the age that Chance despises he can no longer do anything ; for without her aid there is no hope.”

PerseveranceCasanova
Book:Twelve Against the Gods
Create image

“The profession of magician, is one of the most perilous and arduous specializations of the imagination. On the one hand there is the hostility of God and the police to be guarded against; on the other it is as difficult as music, as deep as poetry, as ingenious as stage-craft, as nervous as the manufacture of high explosives, and as delicate as the trade in narcotics.”

HandsDifficultImaginationMagicStagePoliceTradeProfessionNervousCraftsDelicateMagicianHostilityIngeniousGuardedExplosivesSpecializationNarcotics
Author:William Bolitho
Create image