"A man of action rarely keeps a journal; it is always later on and in a period of prolonged inactivity, that he does his recollecting, makes his notations, and, very often, has cause to wonder at the course his life has taken."
Marguerite Yourcenar, Memoirs of Hadrian
(HT Terry Teachout, About Last Night.
“They know everything. Unfortunately, they don’t know anything else.” (Marshall Foch on the graduates of France's St. Cyr military academy).
1 comment:
Yourcenar's comment struck me, as having recently consumed another biography of Captain RF Burton I was astounded at his ability to keep detailed journals every day of his ridiculously active life. He believed it was a necessity for any serious man. And I reckon his credentials as a "man of action" somewhat outstrip those of Yourcenar.
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