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I seem to see only the strivings of an ape reft of his tail, and grown rusty at climbing, who has reeled blunderingly from mystery to mystery, with pathetic makeshifts, not understanding anything, greedy in all desires, and always honeycombed with poltroonery. So in a secret place his youth was put away in exchange for a prize that was hardly worth the having; and the fine geas which his mother laid upon him was exchanged for the common geas of what seems expected.

— James Branch Cabell Figures of Earth (1921)

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More quotes by James Branch Cabell

You must permit that I begin it in my own way, with what may to you at first seem dream-stuff.

The Cream of the Jest (1917)

The desire to write perfectly of beautiful happenings is, as the saying runs, old as the hills — and as immortal.

The Certain Hour (1916)

Life is very marvelous ... and to the wonders of the earth there is no end appointed.

The Silver Stallion (1926)

Good and evil keep very exact accounts... and the face of every man is their ledger.

Jurgen (1919)

While it is well enough to leave footprints on the sands of time, it is even more important to make sure they point in a commendable direction.

All James Branch Cabell quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: James Branch Cabell (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.