Art magnifies the power of will of the hero.

(every artist paints his own nature into his pictures)

The venerability factor creeps in given you live long enough,

You get first accused of things you never did, and much later credited for works you never done.

I. F. Stone

The very purpose of existence is to reconcile the glowing opinion we hold of ourselves with the appalling things that other people think about us.

Quentin Crisp