404 Quotes by Robertson Davies

If we seek the pleasures of love, passion should be occasional, and common sense continual.

Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don't know what they are conserving.

I never heard of anyone who was really literate or who ever really loved books who wanted to suppress any of them. Censors only read a book with great difficulty, moving their lips as they puzzle out each syllable, when someone tells them that the book is unfit to read.

Secrets are the blood of life. Every big thing is a secret, even when you know it, because you never know all of it. If you can know everything about anything, it is not worth knowing.

We live in a world where bulk is equated with quality.

A Librettist is a mere drudge in the world of opera.

The egotist is all surface; underneath is a pulpy mess and a lot of self-doubt. But the egoist may be yielding and even deferential in things he doesn't consider important; in anything that touches his core he is remorseless.

There can be no doubt that Samuel Marchbanks is one of the choice and master spirits of this age. If there were such a volume as Who Really Ought To Be Who his entry would require several pages.

The most original thing a writer can do is write like himself. It is also his most difficult task.