Robertson Davies Quotes

A collection of quotes by Robertson Davies.

Robertson Davies (1913-1995) was a celebrated Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, and journalist. Born on August 28, 1913, in Thamesville, Ontario, Davies developed a deep love for literature from an early age. He pursued his education at several prestigious institutions, including Upper Canada College and the University of Oxford in England.

Davies began his career as an actor and playwright before transitioning to journalism in the 1940s. He worked as an editor for the Peterborough Examiner and the Saturday Night magazine, where he gained recognition for his insightful literary reviews. Alongside his journalism, Davies continued to write plays and novels.

In the late 1950s, Davies published his first novel, "The Salterton Trilogy," which earned critical acclaim and established his reputation as a talented writer. He went on to write several other notable works, including the critically acclaimed "Fifth Business" (1970), "The Deptford Trilogy" (1970-1975), and the Cornish Trilogy (1981-1985).

Davies' writing was characterized by his keen wit, intellectual depth, and exploration of complex themes such as psychology, mythology, and philosophy. His works often delved into Canadian identity and cultural history, seeking to unearth the country's unique narrative and place it within a broader global context.

Recognized with numerous awards throughout his career, including the Governor General's Award for Fiction and the Royal Bank Award, Robertson Davies left an indelible mark on the Canadian literary landscape. He died on December 2, 1995, in Orangeville, Ontario, but his legacy as one of Canada's most significant and influential writers lives on.

Bookes give no wisdom where none was before, But where some

Bookes give no wisdom where none was before, But where some is, there reading makes it more.

Robertson Davies


Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old

Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never tire of it. If we do tire of it, if we lose our curiosity, we have lost something of infinite value, because to a high degree it is curiosity that gives meaning and savour to life.

Robertson Davies


When irony first makes itself known in a young man's life, i

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.

Robertson Davies

Experience Life Man

Our age has robbed millions of the simplicity of ignorance,

Our age has robbed millions of the simplicity of ignorance, and has so far failed to lift them to the simplicity of wisdom.

Robertson Davies

Wisdom Life Age Simplicity

Art is always at peril in universities, where there are so m

Art is always at peril in universities, where there are so many people, young and old, who love art less than argument, and dote upon a text that provides the nutritious pemmican on which scholars love to chew.

Robertson Davies

Art Love People

The little boy nodded at the peony and the peony seemed to n

The little boy nodded at the peony and the peony seemed to nod back. The little boy was neat, clean and pretty. The peony was unchaste, dishevelled as peonies must be, and at the height of its beauty.(...) Every hour is filled with such moments, big with significance for someone.

Robertson Davies

Beauty Meaning

Female beauty is an important Minor Sacrament which cannot b

Female beauty is an important Minor Sacrament which cannot be received too often; I am not at all sure that neglect of it does not constitute a sin of some kind

Robertson Davies

Beauty Women Sin

Now, very few are men of science in any very serious sense;

Now, very few are men of science in any very serious sense; they're men of technique.

Robertson Davies

Men Science

I never heard of anyone who was really literate or who ever

I never heard of anyone who was really literate or who ever really loved books who wanted to suppress any of them. Censors only read a book with great difficulty, moving their lips as they puzzle out each syllable, when someone tells them that the book is unfit to read.

Robertson Davies

Censorship

Do not suppose, however, that I intend to urge a diet of cla

Do not suppose, however, that I intend to urge a diet of classics on anybody. I have seen such diets at work. I have known people who have actually read all, or almost all, the guaranteed Hundred Best Books. God save us from reading nothing but the best.

Robertson Davies

Diet

The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory f

The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past.

Robertson Davies

Future

The people of the United States, perhaps more than any other

The people of the United States, perhaps more than any other nation in history, love to abase themselves and proclaim their unworthiness, and seem to find refreshment in doing so... That is a dark frivolity, but still frivolity.

Robertson Davies

America

There is no nonsense so gross that society will not, at some

There is no nonsense so gross that society will not, at some time, make a doctrine of it and defend it with every weapon of communal stupidity.

Robertson Davies

Society

Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise

Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons.

Robertson Davies

Cats

The great book for you is the book that has the most to say

The great book for you is the book that has the most to say to you at the moment when you are reading. I do not mean the book that is most instructive, but the book that feeds your spirit. And that depends on your age, your experience, your psychological and spiritual need.

Robertson Davies

Age

I think of an author as somebody who goes into the marketpla

I think of an author as somebody who goes into the marketplace and puts down his rug and says, I will tell you a story, and then he passes the hat.

Robertson Davies

Authors & Writing

The world is burdened with young fogies. Old men with ossifi

The world is burdened with young fogies. Old men with ossified minds are easily dealt with. But men who look young, act young and everlastingly harp on the fact that they are young, but who nevertheless think and act with a degree of caution that would be excessive in their grandfathers, are the curse of the world. Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don't know what they are conserving.

Robertson Davies

Conservatism

The greatest gift that Oxford gives her sons is, I truly bel

The greatest gift that Oxford gives her sons is, I truly believe, a genial irreverence toward learning, and from that irreverence love may spring.

Robertson Davies

Education

Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don't know w

Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don't know what they are conserving.

Robertson Davies

Politics

The love of truth lies at the root of much humor.

The love of truth lies at the root of much humor.

Robertson Davies

Humor