From Depicting The Past, So Goes The

There's Only A Step From The Sublime To The Ridiculous, But There's No Road Leading From The Ridiculous To The Sublime.

Ever Since My Youth It Has Disturbed Me That Of The Literary Works That Survived Their Own Epoch, So Many Dealt With Historical Rather Than Contemporary Subjects.

Both The Historian And The Novelist View History As The Struggle Of A Tiny Minority, Able And Determined To Make Judgments, Which Is Up Against A Vast And Densely Packed Majority Of The Blind, Who Are Led By Their Instincts And Unable To Think For Themselves.

It Is Only The Strong Who Are Strengthened By Suffering; The Weak Are Made Weaker.

From Depicting The Past, So Goes The Suspicion, It Is A Short Step To Glorifying The Past.