There are the There-But-for-the-Grace-of-Godders who seem to think it is only by a narrow squeak that they… — Robertson Davies
There are the There-But-for-the-Grace-of-Godders who seem to think it is only by a narrow squeak that they have kept out of the prisoner's dock themselves; they are bird-brains to whom God's grace and good luck mean the same thing.
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More from this book
Unhappiness of the kind that is recognized and examined and brooded over is a spiritual luxury.
Like many people who are losing their grip, he mistook it for the coming of a new wisdom in himself.
During the First World War some of the English troops used to go over the top shouting, "Marmalade!" in humorously chivalrous voices, as if it were a heroic battle-cry. The Germans could never get used to it. They puzzled tirelessly to solve the mystery. Because a German cannot conceive that a man in battle would want to be funny, you see. But I think the English were dissembling the horror of their situation so that they would not notice how close they were to Death. Again, humour was essentially evil. If they had thought of the truth of their situation, they might not have gone over the top. And that might have been a good thing.
