188 quotes
I am constantly astonished by the people, otherwise intelligent, who think that anything so complex and delicate as a marriage can be left to take care of itself.
Several children present me with scraps of paper for autographs: obviously don't know who I am and don't care. I sign "Jackie Collins" and they go away quite content.
Today I live in the gray, muffled, smelless, puffy, tasteless half-world of those who have colds.
The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks (1947)
I don't suppose there is a country in the world where a playwright has such a tremendous field for modesty as Canada.
Shakespeare over the Port (1960)
There is no democracy in the world of intellect, and no democracy of taste.
A Voice from the Attic (1960)
The greatest gift that Oxford gives her sons is, I truly believe, a genial irreverence toward learning, and from that irreverence love may spring.
Shakespeare over the Port (1960)
We live in a world where bulk is equated with quality.
A Voice from the Attic (1960)
When irony first makes itself known in a young man's life, it can be like his first experience of getting drunk; he has met with a powerful thing which he does not know how to handle.
The Cunning Man (1994)
Let people alone. Let them find their way. Let them find their level and you may sometimes be delighted and astonished at the extraordinary high level to which they'll rise if they're let alone.
Conversations with Robertson Davies (1989)
The truth is that art does not teach; it makes you feel, and any teaching that may arise from the feeling is an extra, and must not be stressed too much.
The idea that a wise man must be solemn is bred and preserved among people who have no idea what wisdom is, and can only respect whatever makes them feel inferior.
A Voice from the Attic (1960)
People are afraid to be happy.
Conversations with Robertson Davies (1989)
"No, this is the Great Theatre of Life. Admission is free but the taxation is mortal. You come when you can, and leave when you must. The show is continuous. Good-night."
The Cunning Man (1994)
Art lies in understanding some part of the dark forces and bringing them under the direction of reason.
A Voice from the Attic (1960)
We all have slumbering realms of sensibility which can be coaxed into wakefulness by books.
A Voice from the Attic (1960)
The quality of what is said inevitably influences the way in which it is said, however inexperienced the writer.
A Voice from the Attic (1960)
Love, though sweet, must know its proper station
And never seek to rival education.
The Golden Ass (1999)
A pig can learn more tricks than a dog, but has too much sense to want to do it.
The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks (1949)
Thought and reason, unless matched by feelings, are empty, delusive things.
A Voice from the Attic (1960)
If you are an intellectual, your best course is to relax and enjoy it.
A Voice from the Attic (1960)