Sauntering in essays has a way of yielding unexpected treasures, as this remark of Kenneth Clark:
The heroic in life . . . is based on the consciousness that life is a struggle; and that in this struggle it is courage, strength of will, and determination which are decisive, not intelligence nor sensibility. The heroic involves a contempt for convenience and a sacrifice of all those pleasures which contribute to what we call civilized life. It is the enemy of happiness. (Quoted from “The Young Michelangelo," by Kenneth Clark, chapter 3, page 43, in The Horizon Book of the Renaissance, by Richard M. Ketchum and John Harold Plumb. American Heritage Pub. Co., 1961.)
For a brief biography of Kenneth Clark, click here.
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