Many authors write like amateur blacksmiths making their first horseshoe; the clank of the anvil, the stench of the scorched leather apron, the sparks and the cursing are palpable, and this appeals to those who rank "sincerity" very high. Nabokov… — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
These matters require what I think of as the Shakespearean cast of thought. That is to say, a fine credulity about everything, kept in check by a lively skepticism about everything.... It keeps you constantly alert to every possibility. — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
“...the irrational will have its say, perhaps because 'irrational' is the wrong word for it.” — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
If you're going to do something that looks evil, don't smear it with icing and pretend it's good; just bloody well do it and… — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it. — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never… — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
If I had to describe my remarks this evening frankly as if I were in police court and on oath, so to speak I… — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
The people of the United States, perhaps more than any other nation in history, love to abase themselves and proclaim their unworthiness, and seem… — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
I don't suppose God laughs at the people who think He doesn't exist. He's above jokes. But the devil isn't. That's one of his… — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
Inactivity and deprivation of all accustomed stimulus is not rest; it is a preparation for the tomb — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
“My lifelong involvement with Mrs Dempster began at 5:58 o'clock p.m. on 27 December 1908, at which time I was ten years and seven months old.” — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
In a government like ours, the Crown is the abiding and unshakable element in government; politicians may come and go, but the Crown remains… — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
There can be no doubt that Samuel Marchbanks is one of the choice and master spirits of this age. If there were such a… — Robertson Davies Copy Share Image
