Like everyone else, I have at my disposal three means of evaluating human existence: the study of self, which is the most difficult and most dangerous method, but also the most fruitful; the observation of our fellow men, who usually arrange to hide their secrets from us, or to make us believe that they have secrets where none exist; and books, with the particular errors of perspective to which they inevitably give rise. I have read nearly everything that our historians and poets have written, and even our story-tellers, although the latter are considered frivolous; and to such reading I owe perhaps more instruction than I have gathered in the somewhat varied situations in my own life. The written word has taught me to listen to the human voice, much as the great unchanging statues have taught me to appreciate bodily motions. On the other hand, but more slowly, life has thrown light for me on the meaning of books.

From Marguerite Yourcenar’s Memoirs of Hadrian, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 1986 (first published in 1951), p. 29.

Addendum (April 10, 2018)

It is a joy to come across this quote plucked from one of Yourcenar’s masterpieces. Like most of the quotes in my magnum opus, it is as though I have written it myself. I, too, have at my disposal three means of evaluating human existence, and I have followed all of them to the best of my ability. Perhaps the only difference between Yourcenar and me is that I have put the greatest emphasis on the study of self. Although it is the most difficult and dangerous method, it is surely the most fruitful. As a human, I can say a great deal about my fellow humans by observing myself. As well as by reporting what I have discovered, and in writing. The greatest difficulty I have encountered in this endeavor is the bulk of my observations. By and by, they are approaching four-million words. Goodness gracious! When this quote was plucked, I was still innocent of this ominous number. And ominous it is, no doubt whatsoever. Slowly but surely, my writings have become unreadable. Few humans would even attempt such a mindboggling feat nowadays. Alas, Yourcenar’s warning was loud and clear!