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Oh you who are born of the blood of the gods, Trojan son of Anchises, easy is the descent to read more
Oh you who are born of the blood of the gods, Trojan son of Anchises, easy is the descent to Hell; the door of dark Dis stands open day and night. But to retrace your steps and come out to the air above, that is work, that is labor! - Aeneid, The.
If a poet has any obligation toward society, it is to write well. Being in the minority, he has no read more
If a poet has any obligation toward society, it is to write well. Being in the minority, he has no other choice. Failing this duty, he sinks into oblivion. Society, on the other hand, has no obligation toward the poet. A majority by definition, society thinks of itself as having other options than reading verses, no matter how well written. Its failure to do so results in its sinking to that level of locution at which society falls easy prey to a demagogue or a tyrant. This is society's own equivalent of oblivion.
Our high respect for a well-read man is praise enough of literature.
Our high respect for a well-read man is praise enough of literature.
Learning why one great book is just like every other great book is the key to understanding literature
Learning why one great book is just like every other great book is the key to understanding literature
Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a losttradition.
Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a losttradition.
Literary Men are . . . a perpetual priesthood.
Literary Men are . . . a perpetual priesthood.
The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.
The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.
The fashion of liking Racine will pass away like that of coffee.
[Fr., La mode d'aimer Racine passera comme read more
The fashion of liking Racine will pass away like that of coffee.
[Fr., La mode d'aimer Racine passera comme la mode du cafe.]
In books, the proportion of exceptional to commonplace people is very high; in reality, very low.
In books, the proportion of exceptional to commonplace people is very high; in reality, very low.
