(T)here was a story they used to tell at home about a girl whose punishment was that every time she opened her mouth, snakes and toads came out, snakes and toads with every word. The book didn't say what she did about it, but I've always assumed she probably ended up keeping her mouth shut.
Thomas MannWe do not fear being called meticulous, inclining as we do to the view that only the exhaustive can be truly interesting.
Thomas MannIs not life in itself a thing of goodness, irrespective of whether the course it takes for us can be called a 'happy' one?
Thomas MannThe books and magazines streamed in. He could buy them all, they piled up around him and even while he read, the number of those still to be read disturbed him. … they stood in rows, weighing down his life like a possession which he did not succeed in subordinating to his personality.
Thomas Mann