A king is the peasant’s actor, who becomes so scandalous that he has to be bowed down to – scandalous in the higher sense naturally. And why must he … - Djuna Barnes

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A king is the peasant’s actor, who becomes so scandalous that he has to be bowed down to – scandalous in the higher sense naturally. And why must he be bowed down to? Because he has been set apart as the one dog who need not regard the rules of the house, they are so high that they can defame God and foul their rafters! But the people – that’s different – they are church-broken, nation-broken – they drink and pray and piss in the one place. Every man has a house-broken heart except the great man. The people love their church and know it, as a dog knows where he was made to conform, and there he returns by his instinct.

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About Djuna Barnes

Djuna Barnes (June 12, 1892 – June 18, 1982) was an American novelist, poet, and playwright.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Pen Names: Lydia Steptoe
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Shorter versions of this quote

...the people... they are church-broken, nation-broken — they drink and pray and piss in the one place. Every man has a house-broken heart except the great man. The people love their church and know it, as a dog knows where he was made to conform, and there he returns by his instinct.

Additional quotes by Djuna Barnes

For us, books have turned into fast food, to be consumed in the gaps between one bout of relentless living and the next. Airports, subways, maybe half an hour at bedtime, maybe something with the office sandwich, isn’t really ideal.

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