He stood staring into the wood for a minute, then said: "What is it about the English countryside — why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?" He sounded faintly sad. Perhaps he finds beauty saddening — I do myself sometimes. Once when I was quite little I asked father why this was and he explained that it was due to our knowledge of beauty's evanescence, which reminds us that we ourselves shall die. Then he said I was probably too young to understand him; but I understood perfectly.
Dodie SmithThe one Bach piece I learnt made me feel I was being repeatedly hit on the head with a teaspoon.
Dodie SmithStill, looking through the old volumes was soothing, because thinking of the past made the present seem a little less real.
Dodie SmithIt's a beautiful sight to see good dancers doing simple steps. It's a painful sight to see beginners doing complicated patterns.
Dodie Smith