We sit by and watch the barbarian. We tolerate him in the l… - Hilaire Belloc

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We sit by and watch the barbarian. We tolerate him in the long stretches of peace, we are not afraid. We are tickled by his irreverence; his comic inversion of our old certitudes and our fixed creed refreshes us; we laugh. But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond, and on these faces there are no smiles.

Hilaire Belloc

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About Hilaire Belloc

Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (27 July 1870 – 16 July 1953) was a Franco-English writer and poet, known chiefly for his essays and children's books; he was sometimes referred to by the nickname "Old Thunder". Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist.

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Also Known As

Alternative Names: Hilaire Pierre Belloc • Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc

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Originators like Hilaire Belloc:

Robert Louis Stevenson John Buchan G. K. Chesterton Voltaire Samuel Johnson

Additional quotes by Hilaire Belloc

That I grow sour, who only lack delight;
That I descend to sneer, who only grieve:
That from my depth I should contemn your height;
That with my blame my mockery you receive;
Huntress and splendour of the woodland night,
Diana of this world, do not believe.

When you have lost your inns, you may drown your empty selves. For you have lost the heart of England.

I put my pencil upon the paper, doubtfully, and drew little lines, considering my theme. But I would not long hesitate in this manner, for I knew that all creation must be chaos first, and then gestures in the void before it can cast out the completed thing.

We sit by and watch the barbarian. We tolerate him in the long stretches of peace, we are not afraid. We are tickled by his irreverence; his comic in… - Hilaire Belloc

About Hilaire Belloc

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Additional quotes by Hilaire Belloc