404 Quotes by Robertson Davies

He types his labored column -- weary drudge! Senile fudge and solemn: spare, editor, to condemn these dry leaves of his autumn.

Energy and curiosity are the lifeblood of universities; the desire to find out, to uncover, to dig deeper, to puzzle out obscurities, is the spirit of the university, and it is a channelling of that unresting curiosity that holds mankind together.

There is absolutely no point in sitting down to write a book unless you feel that you must write that book, or else go mad, or die.

The people who are always monkeying with these great books to make them fully (comprehensible) have no friend in me, for in their realm the fully comprehensible is not worth comprehending

here are some homosexuals whom we would do well to take seriously.

The dog is a yes-animal. Very popular with people who can't afford a yes man.

It isn't everybody who is the hero of his own romance, and when we meet one he is likely to be a fascinating monster

Great drama, drama that may reach the alchemical level, must have dimension and its relevance will take care of itself. Writing about AIDS rather than the cocktail set, or possibly the fairy kingdom, will not guarantee importance. . . . The old comment that all periods of time are at an equal distance from eternity says much, and pondering on it will lead to alchemical theatre while relevance becomes old hat.

Conversation in its true meaning isn't all wagging the tongue; sometimes it is a deeply shared silence.