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Quote by Walter Pater

“To higher or lower ends, they [the majority of mankind] move too often with something of a sad countenance, with hurried and ignoble gait, becoming, unconsciously, something like thorns, in their anxiety to bear grapes; it being possible for people, in the pursuit of even great ends, to become themselves thin and impoverished in spirit and temper, thus diminishing the sum of perfection in the world, at its very sources.”

Quote by Walter Pater

Work

The Works of Walter Pater

This collection includes Pater's most renowned works, such as 'The Renaissance' and 'Appreciations', showcasing his influential approach to art and literature. Pater's essays are known for their lyrical prose and philosophical depth, exploring themes of beauty, art, and the human experience. more

Author

Walter Pater
Walter Pater

Walter Pater was a British essayist, critic, and poet, known for his influential literary criticism and contributions to the Aesthetic Movement. Born on August 4, 1839, and died on July 30, 1894, Pater's work had a significant impact on the development of modern literary theory and the appreciation of art and literature. more

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“I have no other pictures of the world apart from those which express evanescence, and callousness, vanity and anger, emptiness, orhideous useless hate. Everything has merely confirmed what I had seen and understood in my childhood: futile and sordid fits of rage, cries suddenly blanketed by the silence, shadows swallowed up for ever by the night.”

“For me, it is as though at every moment the actual world had completely lost its actuality. As though there was nothing there; asthough there were no foundations for anything or as though it escaped us. Only one thing, however, is vividly present: the constant tearing of the veil of appearances; the constant destruction of everything in construction. Nothing holds together, everything falls apart.”

“A nation fights well in proportion to the amount of men and materials it has. And the other equation is that the individual soldier in that army is a more effective soldier the poorer his standard of living has been in the past.”