Hey, it's Friday, and I almost forgot the quote, but I didn't! That's seven days of quotes, people. I'm proud of myself. This one's from Maggie O'Farrell's After You'd Gone, which is a fantastic book. The quote is a tad lengthy but it's making its second appearance on Leafing Through Life because, for some reason or other which I am far too tired to contemplate at the moment, I really really like it.
"Today I am bothered by the story of King Canute. (...) The story is, of course, that he was so arrogant and despotic a leader that he believed he could control everything - even the tide. We see him on the beach, surrounded by subjects, sceptre in hand, ordering back the heedless waves; a laughing stock, in short. But what if we've got it all wrong? What if, in fact, he was so good and great a king that his people began to elevate him to the status of a god, and began to believe that he was capable of anything? In order to prove to them that he was a mere mortal, he took them down to the beach and ordered back the waves, which of course kept on rolling up the beach. How awful it would be if we had got it so wrong, if we had misunderstood his actions for so long."
I really like that quote also. I have often wondered that same thing. What if we have gotten (insert scenario here) terribly wrong?
ReplyDeleteThat will certainly get you thinking, won't it?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your quotes, even if I didn't say so every day!
Also, drop by my place - you've been tagged.
cjh