There is no luck in literary reputation. They who make up the final verdict upon every book are not the partial and noisy readers of the hour when it appears; but a court as of angels, a public not to be bribed, not to be entreated, and not to be overawed, decides upon every man's title to fame.

Summary

This quote suggests that literary reputation is not formed by luck or chance. The final judgment on a book's worth is not made by the immediate readers who may be biased or easily swayed. Instead, it is likened to a higher authority, a court of angels, a discerning public that cannot be influenced or persuaded by any means. In essence, this emphasizes the importance of the collective judgment of a knowledgeable and unbiased audience in determining an author's claim to fame in the literary world.

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