this image makes me happy

[truepenny]

Henry James, in a letter to Grace Norton, 1887:

Let us be flexible, dear Grace, let us be flexible! And even if we don't reach the sun, we shall at least have been up in a balloon.

James was a fussy, egotistical, snobbish, strait-laced person, but at moments such as this I like him quite a lot.

Comments

[oracne.livejournal.com]

That is a wonderful quote.

I'm all verklempt about Henry James now. Should dig out his collection of novel intros and read some more of it.