But the Count hadn’t the temperament for revenge; he hadn’t the imagination for epics; and he certainly hadn’t the fanciful ego to dram of empires restored. No. His model for mastering his circumstances would be a different sort of captive altogether: an Anglican washed ashore. Like Robinson Crusoe stranded on the Isle of Despair, the count would maintain his resolve by committing to the business of practicalities. Having dispensed with dreams of quick discovery, the world’s Crusoes seek shelter and a source of fresh water; they teach themselves to make fire from flint; they study their island’s topography, it’s climate, its flora and fauna, all the while keeping their eyes trained for sails on the horizon and footprints in the sand. Amor Towles
About This Quote

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. This famous quote from William H. Whyte is a great reminder to never give up on your goals and dreams. It encourages us to keep working towards our goals and not to let setbacks stop us from achieving them.

Source: A Gentleman In Moscow

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More Quotes By Amor Towles
  1. If we only fell in love with people who were perfect for us...then there wouldn't be so much fuss about love in the first place.

  2. In our twenties, when there is still so much time ahead of us, time that seems ample for a hundred indecisions, for a hundred visions and revisions–we draw a card, and we must decide right then and there whether to keep that card and discard...

  3. But the Count hadn’t the temperament for revenge; he hadn’t the imagination for epics; and he certainly hadn’t the fanciful ego to dram of empires restored. No. His model for mastering his circumstances would be a different sort of captive altogether: an Anglican washed ashore....

  4. Ever since [that day], a small uncertainty had buzzed between us. It was a sense of chemistry that had been a little elusive, a little imprecise, until now.

  5. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration--and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.

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