136.
Means and End.—In art the end does not justify the means, but holy means can justify the end.
137.
The Worst Readers.—The worst readers are those who act like plundering soldiers. They take out some things that they might use, cover the rest with filth and confusion, and blaspheme about the whole.
138.
Signs of a Good Writer.—Good writers have two things in common: they prefer being understood to being admired, and they do not write for the critical and over-shrewd reader.
139.
The Mixed Species.—The mixed species in art bear witness to their authors' distrust of their own [pg 073] strength. They seek auxiliary powers, advocates, hiding-places—such is the case with the poet who calls in philosophy, the musician who calls in the drama, and the thinker who calls in rhetoric to his aid.
140.
Shutting One's Mouth.—When his book opens its mouth, the author must shut his.