But it is no use to justify yourself. It is no good to explain. It is weak to be anecdotal. It is wise to… — Hilary Mantel
But it is no use to justify yourself. It is no good to explain. It is weak to be anecdotal. It is wise to conceal the past even if there is nothing to conceal. A man’s power is in the half-light, in the half-seen movements of his hand and the unguessed-at expression of his face. It is the absence of facts that frightens people: the gap you open, into which they pour their fears, fantasies, desires.
p. 331Source: Wikiquote · CC BY-SA 4.0
More from this book
The cardinal used to say, the English will forgive a king anything, until he tries to tax them.
p. 332
A lie is no less a lie because it is a thousand years old.
p. 525
When have I, when have I ever forced anyone to do anything, he starts to say: but Richard cuts in, “No, you don’t, I agree, it’s just that you are practiced at persuading, and sometimes it’s quite difficult, sir to distinguish being persuaded by you from being knocked down in street and stamped on.”
p. 406
