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Quote by Natalie Clifford Barney

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Natalie Clifford Barney
Natalie Clifford Barney

Natalie Clifford Barney was an American playwright recognized for her significant contributions to American theater. Born on October 31, 1876, she was a prominent figure in the literary and artistic circles of the early 20th century. Barney's plays frequently delved into themes of gender, identity, and societal norms, and she is celebrated for her pioneering plays and her mentorship of numerous young playwrights. more

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“Heroes and scholars represent the opposite extremes... The scholar struggles for the benefit of all humanity, sometimes to reduce physical effort, sometimes to reduce pain, and sometimes to postpone death, or at least render it more bearable. In contrast, the patriot sacrifices a rather substantial part of humanity for the sake of his own prestige. His statue is always erected on a pedestal of ruins and corpses... In contrast, all humanity crowns a scholar, love forms the pedestal of his statues, and his triumphs defy the desecration of time and the judgment of history.”

“Perhaps it is better in this present world of ours that a revolutionary idea or invention instead of being helped and patted, be hampered and ill-treated in its adolescence - by want of means, by selfish interest, pedantry, stupidity and ignorance; that it be attacked and stifled; that it pass through bitter trials and tribulations, through the heartless strife of commercial existence. So do we get our light. So all that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combated, suppressed - only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly from the struggle.”