Thomas Canty Sketchbook

 

 

     "Ever since I can remember, even when I was quite a young child, people have always told me that I have no perseverance, no strength of will; they have always kept on saying to me, directly and indirectly, 'Unstable as water, thou shall not excel'; and they have always been quite wrong in this matter, for of all men I have ever heard of, I have the strongest will for good and evil. I could soon find out whether a thing were possible or not to me; then if it were not, I threw it away forever, never thought of it again, no regret, no longing for that, it was past and over to me; but if it were possible, and I made up my mind to do it, then and there I began it, and in due time finished it, turning neither to the right hand nor the left, till it was done. . . .
     "With the arrogance of youth, I determined to do no less than to transform the world with Beauty. If I have succeeded in some small way, if only in one small corner of the world, amongst the men and women I love, then I shall count myself blessed, and blessed, and blessed, and the work goes on."

-- William Morris, from letters dated 1856 and 1896