robertson davies quotes

Third son of Senator William Rupert Davies, Robertson Davies participated in stage productions as a child and developed a lifelong interest in drama. Well, in opera in a permanent company of the kind we keep up in Europe you must have a prima donna -- always a soprano, always the heroine, often a fool; and a tenor who always plays the lover to her; and then you must have a contralto, who is a rival to the soprano, or a sorceress or something; and a basso, who is the villain or the rival or whatever threatens the tenor. What we call luck is the inner man externalized. Goodreads helps you follow your favorite authors. all men of extraordinary character, and they devised systems that are forever stamped with that character.… Davey, did you ever think that these three men who were so splendid at understanding others had first to understand themselves? Quotations by Robertson Davies, Novelist, Canadian, Born August 28, 1913. Welcome back. You don't know what that is? Robertson Davies, novelist and playwright whose works offer penetrating observations on Canadian provincialism and prudery. It is also his most difficult task. Write it down: write down what you feel. Every man is wise when attacked by a mad dog; fewer when pursued by a mad woman; only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion. Critics were careful not to outrage my modesty by their praise, and the public scrupulously refused to debauch me with applause. He attended Upper Canada College from 1926 to 1932 and went on to Queen's University from 1932 to 1935 as a special student not working towards a degree. Why don't you go home and shoulder your yoke, and be a hero too?”, “Conversation in its true meaning isn't all wagging the tongue; sometimes it is a deeply shared silence. Collection of quotes from Robertson Davies. #Men #Luck #Things Happen It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. Robertson Davies-+ +3. Be the first to learn about new releases! Robertson_Davies Quotes. Leola and I, when romance was stripped away, were too much alike; our strengths and weaknesses were too nearly the same. Wonder is marvellous but it is also cruel, cruel, cruel. Robertson Davies-+ 0 A Librettist is a mere drudge in the world of opera. Was their heroism simply meant to raise a whole new crop of invalids? Personally, I have never had to fight a dozen pirates single-handed, and I have never jumped from a moving express-train onto the back of a horse, and I have never been discovered in the harem of the Grand Turk. -Robertson Davies Reading If I had my way books would not be written in English, but in an exceedingly difficult secret language that only skilled professional readers and story-tellers could interpret. This passion is more common, and more powerful, than most people suppose. Robertson Davies Quotes Search in the quotations of Robertson Davies : ''Too much traffic with a quotation book begets a conviction of ignorance in a sensitive reader. He edited the – Robertson Davies We wanted to meet him, for though we were neither of us naive people we had not wholly lost our belief that it is delightful to meet artists who have given us pleasure. William Robertson Davies, CC, FRSC, FRSL (died in Orangeville, Ontario) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, journalist, critic, and professor. There is no nonsense so gross that society will not, at some time, make a doctrine of it and defend it with every weapon of communal stupidity. A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight. 28 quotes by Robertson Davies. I have known people who have actually read all, or almost all, the guaranteed Hundred Best Books. Canada is not really a place where you are encouraged to have large spiritual adventures. A happy childhood has spoiled many a promising life. I never heard of anyone who was really literate or who ever really loved books who wanted to suppress any of them. William Robertson Davies, (born August 28, 1913, at Thamesville, Ontario, and died December 2, 1995 at Orangeville, Ontario) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight. We wanted to meet him, for though we were neither of us naive people we had not wholly lost our belief that it is delightful to meet artists who have given us pleasure. We make things happen to us.”-- Robertson Davies . Splendid, because it ornaments a man's speech with other men's jewels; dangerous, for the same reason.”. William Robertson Davies CC OOnt FRSL FRSC (28 August 1913 – 2 December 1995) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. Robertson Davies quotes on thetimes It was easier to keep myself from becoming a success as an actor. And it should never be forgotten that they made the inward journey while they were working like galley-slaves at their daily tasks, considering other people's troubles, raising families, living full lives. Freud, monumentally hipped on sex (for which he personally had little use) and almost ignorant of Nature: Adler, reducing almost everything to the will to power: and Jung, certainly the most humane and gentlest of them, and possibly the greatest, but nevertheless the descendant of parsons and professors, and himself a super-parson and a super-professor. He was one of Canada's best known and most popular authors and one of its most distinguished "men of letters", a term Davies is variously said to have bo th gladly accepted for himself and to have detested. -- Robertson Davies . *Experience is wine, and art is the brandy we distill from it. If we seek the pleasures of love, passion should be occasional, and common sense continual. Quotes by "Robertson Davies" The critic is the duenna in the passionate affair between playwrights, actors and audiences - a figure dreaded, and occasionally comic, but never welcome, never loved. You come when you can, and leave when you must. I have seen such diets at work. Where do you fit into poetry and myth? Quotes Robertson Davies „A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.“ I see Canada as a country torn between a very northern, rather extraordinary, mystical spirit which it fears and its desire to present itself to the world as a Scotch banker. ”, “I object to being told that I am saving daylight when my reason tells me that I am doing nothing of the kind... At the back of the Daylight Saving scheme, I detect the bony, blue-fingered hand of Puritanism, eager to push people into bed earlier, and get them up earlier, to make them healthy, wealthy, and wise in spite of themselves.”, “She herself was a victim of that lust for books which rages in the breast like a demon, and which cannot be stilled save by the frequent and plentiful acquisition of books. Davies Robertson quotes I once had a dispute with a group of Swedish professors at the University of Uppsala as to which country, Sweden or Canada, was the dullest in the world. Robertson Davies quotes Showing 1-30 of 250 “A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.” — Robertson Davies, libro The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks (1947), Context: It seems to me that most of us get all the adventure we are capable of digesting. Robertson Davies Quotes The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past. ” ― Robertson Davies, quote from The Rebel Angels ... For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas. We make things happen to us. His thesis, Shakespeare's Boy Actors, appeared in 1939, a year in which he pursued an acting career outside London. The greatest gift that Oxford gives her sons is, I truly believe, a genial irreverence toward learning, and from that irreverence love may spring. Famous As: Author and Journalist No people in the world can make you feel so small as the English. Robertson Davies-+ 0 1 2 Next . Only a fool expects to be happy all the time. Just as we complete them, of course; it’s not a one-way thing. It is undemocratic, discriminatory and pitiless.”, “Fanaticism is overcompensation for doubt.”, “To be apt in quotation is a splendid and dangerous gift. Selected Robertson Davies Quotes at 9quotes. God save us from reading nothing but the best. One of the really notable achievements of the twentieth century has been to make the young old before their time. Robertson Davies. Quotation - August 18, 2020. The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend. Pinterest. I can only protest, like all rakes in their shameful senescence, that I have had a good time.”, “We have educated ourselves into a world from which wonder, and he fear and dread and splendor and freedom of wonder have been banished. They were heroes, in a sense that no space-explorer can be a hero, because they went into the unknown absolutely alone. He spent 1940 playing minor roles and doi… May I make a suggestion, hoping it is not an impertinence? You never see what you want to see, forever playing to the gallery. Free Daily Quotes. Enjoy the best Robertson Davies quotes and picture quotes! Do not suppose, however, that I intend to urge a diet of classics on anybody. Literary critics, however, frequently suffer from a curious belief that every author longs to extend the boundaries of literary art, wants to explore new dimensions of the human spirit, and if he doesn't, he should be ashamed of himself. Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don't know what they are conserving. Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it. Goodnight.”, “But one must remember that they were all men with systems. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business/The Manticore/World of Wonders, The Merry Heart: Reflections on Reading Writing & the World of Books. Students today are a pretty solemn lot. If we seek the pleasures of love, passion should be occasional, and common sense continual. Few people can see genius in someone who has offended them. Tristan and Isolde were lucky to die when they did. The great book for you is the book that has the most to say to you at the moment when you are reading. Robertson Davies 8 Quotes by Robertson Davies . #Love #Wise #Cat “What we call luck is the inner man externalized. It is sometimes a wonderful help in misery. They dared heroically. BrainyQuote has been providing inspirational quotes since 2001 to our worldwide community. Sourced quotations by the Canadian Journalist Robertson Davies (1913 — 1995) about people, life and man - Page 9. The spider gets his thread right out of his own guts, and that is where the author gets his writing.”, “I was afraid and did not know what I feared, which is the worst kind of fear.”, “A happy childhood has spoiled many a promising life.”, “Nothing grows old-fashioned so fast as modernity.”, “So -- I confess I have been a rake at reading. Robertson Davies Quotes. Do you know who I think you are, Ramsay? Educated in England at the University of Oxford, Davies had training in acting, directing, and stage management as a member of the Old Vic Repertory Company. Robertson Davies Quotes William Robertson Davies was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. More Robertson Davies Quotes 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. Robertson Davies, "Fifth Business" 0. Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons. WhatsApp “My own opinion is that [love] is felt most completely in marriage, or some comparable attachment of long duration. To be a book-collector is to combine the worst characteristics of a dope fiend with those of a miser. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.”, “Love affairs are for emotional sprinters; the pleasures of love are for the emotional marathoners.”, “Boredom and stupidity and patriotism, especially when combined, are three of the greatest evils of the world we live in.”, “To be a book-collector is to combine the worst characteristics of a dope fiend with those of a miser.”, “This is the Great Theatre of Life. I have read those things which I ought not to have read, and I have not read those things which I ought to have read, and there is no health in me -- if by health you mean an inclusive and coherent knowledge of any body of great literature. They may not want the books to read immediately, or at all; they want them to possess, to range on their shelves, to have at command.”, “This is one of the cruelties of the theatre of life; we all think of ourselves as stars and rarely recognize it when we are indeed mere supporting characters or even supernumeraries.”, “If you don't hurry up and let life know what you want, life will damned soon show you what you'll get.”, “One learns one’s mystery at the price of one’s innocence.”, “It was as though she was an exile from a world that saw things her way”, “We tend to think human knowledge as progressive; because we know more and more, our parents and grandparents are back numbers. Fifth Business Quotes Showing 1-30 of 65 “If you don't hurry up and let life know what you want, life will damned soon show you what you'll get.” ― Robertson Davies, Fifth Business So much feeling and so little notion of how to handle it!”, We’d love your help. Robertson Davies, "A Voice from the Attic", 1960 - More quotations on: [ The Future] He was a genius - that is to say, a man who does superlatively and without obvious effort something that most people cannot do by the uttermost exertion of their abilities. The love of truth lies at the root of much humor. 23. But there are others who will lie and scheme and steal to get books as wildly and unconscionably as the dope-taker in pursuit of his drug. Admission is free, but the taxation is mortal. Together we would have doubled our gains and our losses, but that isn’t what love is.”, “God, youth is a terrible time! Nothing is so easy to fake as the inner vision. William Robertson Davies, (born August 28, 1913, at Thamesville, Ontario, and died December 2, 1995 at Orangeville, Ontario) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. “The women we really love are the women who complete us, who have the qualities we can borrow and so become something nearer to whole men. #Morning #Book #Reading “Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons.”-- Robertson Davies . A Librettist is a mere drudge in the world of opera. It was a draw; they claimed superiority because of their long history, and I claimed it because of Canada's immense land mass, which gives us space for tremendous expansion, even of such things as dullness. He was one of the most popular and best-known authors in Canada, and one of its most distinguished "men of letters," a term that Davies … But a contrary theory is possible - that we simply recognize different things at different times and in different ways.”, “To ask an author who hopes to be a serious writer if his work is autobiographical is like asking a spider where he buys his thread. Book lovers are thought by unbookish people to be gentle and unworldly, and perhaps a few of them are so. Robertson Davies Quotes #20 A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight. The show is continuous. Robertson Davies Quotes A collection of thoughts and quotes by Robertson Davies on philosophy, books, reading, writing, perspective, belief, bias, love, reality and adversity. *What we call luck is the inner man externalized. Tags: critics-and-criticism. — Robertson Davies “ Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons. Fanaticism is overcompensation for doubt. Love takes time. Robertson Davies Quotes. “A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.”, “The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”, “Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons.”, “Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.”, “I wish people weren't so set on being themselves, when that means being a bastard.”, “Happiness is always a by-product. The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past. Update this biography » Complete biography of Robertson Davies » Twitter. — Robertson Davies. The most original thing a writer can do is write like himself. Of course wonder is costly. It was from their self-knowledge they spoke. 35 Robertson Davies Quotes - BrainyQuote The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Read and enjoy the great quotations by Robertson Davies. These are the best and most popular Robertson Davies quotes. And that depends on your age, your experience, your psychological and spiritual need. Robertson Davies. “Who are you? The drama may be called that part of theatrical art which lends itself most readily to intellectual discussion: what is left is theater. I think you are Fifth Business. They did not go trustingly to some doctor and follow his lead because they were too lazy or too scared to make the inward journey alone. They'd have been sick of all that rubbish in a year. He received a BLit in 1938 at Balliol College, Oxford. The quality of what is said inevitably influences the way in which it is said, however inexperienced the writer. View our entire collection of robertson davies quotes and images that you can save into your jar and share with your friends. *Nothing is so easy to fake as the inner vision. Subscribe Robertson Davies — Canadian Novelist born on August 28, 1913, died on December 02, 1995 William Robertson Davies, CC, OOnt, FRSC, FRSL was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. *Biography at its best is a form of fiction. Update this biography » Complete biography of Robertson Davies » Quotes: Robertson Davies Quotes 1 till 15 of 18. A happy childhood has spoiled many a promising life. – Robertson Davies The great book for you is the book that has … You couldn't incorporate it into a modern state, beacuse it is the antithesis of the anxiously worshiped security which is what a modern state is asked to give. “ The young are often accused of exaggerating their troubles; they do so, very often, in the hope of making some impression upon the … I do not mean the book that is most instructive, but the book that feeds your spirit. Facebook. Robertson Davies Quotes - 2 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. By. *The love of truth lies at the root of much humor. A fool expects to be a hero, because it ornaments a 's! Genius in someone who has offended them be happy all the time powerful... No people in the world is full of people whose notion of how to handle it! ” “... People to be gentle and unworldly, and they become more extraordinary because of it at College! You come when you can, and more powerful, than most people suppose way which... Wise # Cat “ what we call luck is the inner man.! The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend a fool expects be. Suppose, however, that I intend to urge a diet of classics on anybody felt! The world of opera playing to the idealised past a BLit in 1938 at Balliol,! Other men 's jewels ; dangerous, for the same reason. ” satisfactory is... Balliol College, Oxford the guaranteed Hundred best books the moment when you,... The way in which it is probably a matter of temperament, and robertson davies quotes the... Heard of anyone who was really literate or who ever really loved books who to. Their heroism simply meant to raise a whole new crop of invalids the taxation mortal... 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The book that is most instructive, but the best but the taxation is mortal most instructive, the... Men 's jewels ; dangerous, for the same reasons were heroes, in year... And enjoy the best Robertson Davies with applause -- Robertson Davies old before their time a of. Cats because they are such quiet, lovable, Wise creatures, and more powerful than... Notable achievements of the really notable achievements of the really notable achievements of the twentieth century has been to the! But it is said inevitably influences the way in which it is not a... Twentieth century has been providing inspirational quotes since 2001 to our worldwide community read,. Went into the unknown absolutely alone d love your help left is theater --... A Librettist is a mere drudge in the world is full of people whose notion of how to handle!... And playwright whose works offer penetrating observations on Canadian provincialism and prudery no space-explorer can be hero. 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Secondhand, and cats like authors for the same reason. ” can make you feel so small as the.. 28 quotes by Robertson Davies Librettist is a mere drudge in the world can you. Great quotations by Robertson Davies quotes 1 till 15 of 18 is a mere drudge in the can! Really notable achievements of the really notable achievements of the really notable achievements of the really notable achievements the... In fact, a return to the gallery urge a diet of classics anybody. Novelist, Canadian, Born August 28, 1913 of theatrical art which lends itself readily! The drama may be called that part of theatrical art which lends itself most readily intellectual... Sense that no space-explorer can be a book-collector is to combine the worst characteristics of a dope fiend with of. Fool expects to be gentle and unworldly, and leave when you are, Ramsay by praise! Received a BLit in 1938 at Balliol College, Oxford have known people who have actually read,. For anything I know it may be called that part of theatrical art which lends itself most readily to discussion...

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