What would you have me do?
Search out some powerful patronage, and be
Like crawling ivy clinging to a tree?
No thank you.
Dedicate, like all the others,
Verses to plutocrats, while caution smothers
Whatever might offend my lord and master?
No thank you.
Kneel until my knee-caps fester,
Bend my back until I crack my spine,
And scratch another�s back if he�ll scratch mine?
No thank you.
Dining out to curry favour,
Meeting the influential till I slaver,
Suiting my style to what the critics want
With slavish copy of the latest can�t?
No thanks!
Ready to jump through any hoop
To be the great man of a little group?
Be blown off course, with madrigals for sails,
By the old women sighing through their veils?
Labouring to write a line of such good breeding
Its only fault is that it�s not worth reading?
To ingratiate myself, abject with fear,
And fawn and flatter to avoid a sneer?
No thanks, no thanks, no thanks!
But just to sing,
Dream, laugh, and take my tilt of wing,
To cock a snook whenever I shall choose,
To fight for yes and no, come win or lose,
To travel without thought of fame or fortune
Wherever I care to go to under the moon!
Never to write a line that hasn�t come
Directly from my heart: and so, with some
Modesty, to tell myself: My boy,
Be satisfied with a flower, a fruit, the joy
Of a single leaf, so long as it was grown
In your own garden. Then, if success is won
By any chance, you have nothing to render to
A hollow Caesar: the merit belongs to you.
In short, I won�t be a parasite; I�ll be
My own intention, stand alone and free,
And suit my voice to what my own eyes see!
Edmond Rostand
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More Edmond Rostand
My pessimism goes to the point of suspecting the sincerity of the pessimists. EDMOND ROSTAND A kiss, when all is said, what is it? A rosy dot placed on the 'I' in loving; Tis a secret t... EDMOND ROSTAND The dream, alone, is of interest. What is life, without a dream? EDMOND ROSTAND A kiss, when all is said, what is it? A rosy dot placed on the I in loving; Tis a secret told to the... EDMOND ROSTAND A large nose is in fact the sign of an affable man, good, courteous, witty, liberal, courageous, suc... EDMOND ROSTAND A kiss is a secret which takes the lips for the ear. EDMOND ROSTAND My heart always timidly hides itself behind my mind. I set out to bring down stars from the sky, the... EDMOND ROSTAND A kiss! When all is said, what is a kiss? An oath of allegiance taken in closer proximity, a promise... EDMOND ROSTAND And what is a kiss, specifically? A pledge properly sealed, a promise seasoned to taste, a vow stamp... EDMOND ROSTAND A promise more precise; the sealing of Confessions that till then were barely breathed; A rosy dot p... EDMOND ROSTAND My pessimism goes to the point of suspecting the sincerity of the pessimists EDMOND ROSTAND My soul, be satisfied with flowers, With fruit, with weeds even; but gather them In the on... EDMOND ROSTAND ...But...to sing, to dream, to smile, to walk, to be alone, be free, with a voice that sti... EDMOND ROSTAND A pessimist is a man who tells the truth prematurely. EDMOND ROSTAND A promise more precise; the sealing of Confessions that till then were barely breathed; A rosy dot... EDMOND ROSTAND Attendez!... Je choisis mes rimes... LÃ , j'y suis. (Il fait ce qu'il dit, Ã mesure.) EDMOND ROSTAND I have a different idea of elegance. I don't dress like a fop, it's true, but my moral grooming is i... EDMOND ROSTAND Cyrano: I can see him there---he grins--- He is looking at my nose---that skeleton ---What... EDMOND ROSTAND Nearer the gods no mortal may approach. EDMOND HALLEY Scarce any problem will appear more hard and difficult, than that of determining the distance of the... EDMOND HALLEY But as the Pope has a long arm, which might reach me in France, I have gone a little out of the way ... EDMOND ABOUT It was in the Papal States that I studied the Roman Question. I traveled over every part of the coun... EDMOND ABOUT I have been further enlightened by the conversation and correspondence of some illustrious Italians,... EDMOND ABOUT I fight fairly, and in good faith. EDMOND ABOUT Marriage, in life, is like a duel in the midst of a battle. EDMOND ABOUT To leave is to die a little... one leaves behind a little of oneself at any hour, at any place. EDMOND HARACOURT At about six in the morning of July 3, 1860, while I was watering
my petunias, and thinking of noth... EDMOND ABOUT This sight... is by far the noblest astronomy affords. EDMOND HALLEY Dying is easy. Comedy is difficult. EDMOND GWEEN Every corner of the sky awkwardly showed up wearing the exact same thing, a moody gray dress accesso... EDMOND MANNING I earnestly wish them all imaginable success; in the first place that they may not, by the unseasona... EDMOND HALLEY Only what touches us closely preoccupies us. We prepare in solitude to face it. (The Little Book of ... EDMOND JABèS very weak and very fragile ... he wasn't the same person that left Pennsylvania in March. EDMOND POPE He arches his back because when you forgive, the body says, "Thank God. EDMOND MANNING He has not been mistreated, except by not having adequate medical care. EDMOND POPE He appeared much weaker, physically and mentally, he is having a very difficult time and he appears ... EDMOND POPE Maybe I'll kiss the ground, I don't know. EDMOND POPE It's a long and complicated story that goes back 10 years and needs careful explaining, EDMOND POPE I request this release to be as soon as possible as my father is terminally ill and I wish to visit ... EDMOND POPE I'm encouraging him to go pro. The money is going to be there for him because I expect him to break ... EDMOND DONALD The stars aligned well for me and Mike. He wanted to go somewhere that had the patience for him to d... EDMOND DONALD It was a hard sale getting them here. I was instructed to get the program back in compliance and not... EDMOND DONALD As a coach you always hope and dream that your athletes develop to become All-Americans. I knew he w... EDMOND DONALD This was a testament to the hard work of these guys and where we want to take this track program. EDMOND DONALD I'm anticipating another stellar season. These guys are older, wiser and hopefully better. EDMOND DONALD You have to leave OPEC to worry about its own problems. We have a shared commitment to stabilize mar... EDMOND DAUKORU If prices persist above the level of 60 we will definitively take that into account. EDMOND DAUKORU Those arguing for a cut will have to defend their case and we will listen to each of them and reach ... EDMOND DAUKORU Despite uncertainties on interest rates and oil prices during 2005, about 70 companies would be list... EDMOND CHAN Despite uncertainties on interest rates and oil prices during 2005, about 70 companies would be list... EDMOND CHAN About 70 companies were listed on the Hong Kong Main Board and Growth Enterprise Market (GEM). EDMOND CHAN These results were contributed by the return of investors' interests on the equity market towards th... EDMOND CHAN «No adoptes esa idea errónea de que todo extranjero, porque exhibe su diferencia, es incapaz de se... EDMOND JABèS Aristotle 's o...
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Each note of which calls like a little sister,
Those... EDMUND ROSTAND Stupidity, outrage, vanity, cruelty, iniquity, bad faith, falsehood -- we fail to see the whole arra... JEAN ROSTAND To be adult is to be alone. JEAN ROSTAND It takes a very deep-rooted opinion to survive unexpressed. JEAN ROSTAND The ideal, without doubt, varies, but its enemies, alas, are always the same. JEAN ROSTAND It may offend us to hear our own thoughts expressed by others: we are not sure enough of their souls... JEAN ROSTAND Beauty in art is often nothing but ugliness subdued. JEAN ROSTAND The divine is perhaps that quality in man which permits him to endure the lack of God. JEAN ROSTAND One must credit an hypothesis with all that has had to be discovered in order to demolish it. JEAN ROSTAND Renown? I've already got more of it than those I respect, and will never have as much as those for w... JEAN ROSTAND To hate fatigues. JEAN ROSTAND Greatness, in order to gain recognition, must all too often consent to ape greatness. JEAN ROSTAND We must watch over our modesty in the presence of those who cannot understand its grounds. JEAN ROSTAND There are certain moments when we might wish the future were built by men of the past. JEAN ROSTAND To say of men that they are bad is to say they are worse than we think we are, or worse than the ide... JEAN ROSTAND I should have no use for a paradise in which I should be deprived of the right to prefer hell. JEAN ROSTAND We are not na?ve enough to ask for pure men; we ask merely for men whose impurity does not conflict ... JEAN ROSTAND One must either take an interest in the human situation or else parade before the void. JEAN ROSTAND The only things one can admire at length are those one admires without knowing why. JEAN ROSTAND I prefer the honest jargon of reality to the outright lies of books. JEAN ROSTAND Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, a... JEAN ROSTAND Paris wrapped in night! half nebulous
The moonlight streams o'er the blue-shadowed roofs..
A lovely ... EDMUND ROSTAND A married couple are well suited when both partners usually feel the need for a quarrel at the same ... JEAN ROSTAND Certain brief sentences are peerless in their ability to give one the feeling that nothing remains t... JEAN ROSTAND One kills a man, one is an assassin; one kills millions, one is a conqueror; one kills everybody, ... JEAN ROSTAND To be an adult is to be alone. JEAN ROSTAND My pessimism extends to the point of even suspecting the sincerity of the pessimists. JEAN ROSTAND Nothing is more admirable than the fortitude with which millionaires tolerate the disadvantages of t... JEAN ROSTAND Think? Why think! We have computers to do that for us. JEAN ROSTAND A man is not old as long as he is seeking something. JEAN ROSTAND Hatred, for the man who is not engaged in it, is a little like the odor of garlic for one who hasn... JEAN ROSTAND Science has made us gods even before we are worthy of being men. JEAN ROSTAND Somebody told me I should put a pebble in my mouth to cure my stuttering. Well, I tried it, and duri... JEAN ROSTAND The least one can say of power is that a vocation for it is suspicious. JEAN ROSTAND To reflect is to disturb one's thoughts. JEAN ROSTAND Take heed of critics even when they are not fair; resist them even when they are. JEAN ROSTAND Theories pass. The frog remains. JEAN ROSTAND We spend our time envying people whom we wouldn't wish to be. JEAN ROSTAND Truth is always served by great minds, even if they fight it. JEAN ROSTAND A few great minds are enough to endow humanity with monstrous power, but a few great hearts are not ... JEAN ROSTAND Falsity cannot keep an idea from being beautiful; there are certain errors of such ingenuity that on... JEAN ROSTAND One kills a man, one is an assassin; one kills millions, one is a conqueror; one kills everybody, on... JEAN ROSTAND Stupidity, outrage, vanity, cruelty, iniquity, bad faith, falsehood - we fail to see the whole array... JEAN ROSTAND My pessimism extends to the point of even suspecting the sincerity of other pessimists. JEAN ROSTAND Kill one man and you are a murderer. Kill millions and you are a conqueror. Kill all and you are a G... JEAN ROSTAND We are not naïve enough to ask for pure men; we ask merely for men whose impurity does not co... JEAN ROSTAND I don't judge a regime by the damning criticism of the opposition, but by the ingenuous praise o... JEAN ROSTAND Thy name is in my heart as in a sheep-bell
from Cyrano. EDMUND ROSTAND Never feel remorse for what you have thought about your wife; she has thought much worse things abou... JEAN ROSTAND I still understand a few words in life, but I no longer think they make a sentence. JEAN ROSTAND Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, ... JEAN ROSTAND To love an idea is to love it a little more than one should. JEAN ROSTAND Stupidity, outrage, vanity, cruelty, iniquity, bad faith, falsehood / we fail to see the whole array... JEAN ROSTAND On tue un homme, on est un assassin. On tue des millions d'hommes, on est un conquérant. On les tue... JEAN ROSTAND Kill a man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, an... JEAN ROSTAND To say of men that they are bad is to say they are worse than we think we are, or worse than the ide... JEAN ROSTAND The obligation to endure gives us the right to know JEAN ROSTAND In our ideals we unwittingly reveal our vices JEAN ROSTAND Renown? I've already got more of it than those I respect, and will never have as much as those for w... JEAN ROSTAND Already at the origin of the species man was equal to what he was destined to become. JEAN ROSTAND Beauty in art is often nothing but ugliness subdued JEAN ROSTAND A few great minds are enough to endow humanity with monstrous power, but a few great hearts are not ... JEAN ROSTAND We spend our time envying people whom we wouldn't wish to be JEAN ROSTAND One kills a man, one is an assassin; one kills millions, one is a conqueror; one kills everybody, on... JEAN ROSTAND L'humanité aura à répondre un jour, non seulement des actes des hommes malfaisants, elle aura aus... JEAN ROSTAND To be adult is to be alone JEAN ROSTAND When a scientist is ahead of his times, it is often through misunderstanding of current, rather than... JEAN ROSTAND Renown? I've already got more of it than those I respect, and will never have as much as those f... JEAN ROSTAND Far too often the choices reality proposes are such as to take away one's taste for choosing. JEAN ROSTAND It is commonly said that a teacher fails if he has not been surpassed by his students. There has bee... EDMOND H. FISCHER We owe our success to them, and also to the fact that, as the saying goes, two 'Eds' are bet... EDMOND H. FISCHER I thought I would reflect here on a theme most scientists enjoy recalling: the part luck played in t... EDMOND H. FISCHER The English are crooked as a nation and honest as individuals. The contrary is true of the French, w... EDMOND DE GONCOURT Genius is the talent of a person who is dead. EDMOND DE GONCOURT Barbarism is needed every four or five hundred years to bring the world back to life. Otherwise it w... EDMOND DE GONCOURT Historians tell the story of the past, novelists the story of the present. 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