I know not why, but all the noblest arts hold in perfection but for a very little moment. They soon reach a height from which they begin to decline, … - Samuel Butler

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I know not why, but all the noblest arts hold in perfection but for a very little moment. They soon reach a height from which they begin to decline, and when they have begun to decline it is a pity that they cannot be knocked on the head; for an art is like a living organism — better dead than dying.