The Crock of Gold
1912
The Crock of Gold is a comic novel by Irish author James Stephens, first published in 1912. It blends fantasy and folklore, focusing on two philosophers living in a secluded pine wood, their unconventional marriages, and their interactions with magical beings like leprechauns and the Greek god Pan. The narrative humorously explores themes of knowledge, wisdom, and family life while intertwining philosophical musings with whimsical adventures in a richly imagined world.
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“What the heart knows today the head will understand tomorrow””
— James Stephens
“It has occurred to me, brother, that wisdom may not be the end to everything. Goodness and kindness are, perhaps, beyond wisdom. Is it not possible that the ultimate end is music and gaiety and a dance of joy? Wisdom is the oldest of all things. Wisdom is all head and no heart.Behold, brother, you are being crushed under the weight of your head. You are dying of old age while you are yet a child.””
— James Stephens
“Finality is death. Perfection is finality. Nothing is perfect. There are lumps in it, said the Philosopher.””
— James Stephens
“To be silent is to be beautiful. Stars do not make a noise.””
— James Stephens
“The chief business of the gods is to give protection and assistance to such of their people as require it; but...they cannot give any help until it is demanded, the free-will of mankind being the most jealously guarded and holy principle in life; therefore, the interference of the loving gods comes only on an equally loving summons.””
— James Stephens
“The toxin generates the anti-toxin. The end lies concealed in the beginning. All bodies grow around a skeleton. Life is a petticoat about death.””
— James Stephens
“Every child knows that every grown female person in the world has authority to wash children and to give them food; that is what grown people were made for,””
— James Stephens
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Stephens, James. The Crock of Gold. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-crock-of-gold-b7c727f8-dc92-422d-aa4f-bd8f81d5f20a.Stephens, J. (1912). The Crock of Gold. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-crock-of-gold-b7c727f8-dc92-422d-aa4f-bd8f81d5f20aStephens, James. The Crock of Gold. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-crock-of-gold-b7c727f8-dc92-422d-aa4f-bd8f81d5f20a.
