Author: William Goldman
Quotes of Author: William Goldman
I think pain is the most underrated emotion available to us," the Count said. "The Serpent, to myinterpretation, was pain. Pain has been with us always, and it always irritates me when people say 'asimportant as life and death' because the proper phrase, to my mind, should be, 'as important as pain anddeath.'" The Count fell silent for a time then, as he began and completed a series of complex adjustments."One of my theories," he said somewhat later, "is that pain involves anticipation. Nothing original, Iadmit, but I'm going to demonstrate to you what I mean: I will not, underline not, use the Machine onyou this evening. I could. It's ready and tested. But instead I will simply erect it and leave it beside you,for you to stare at the next twenty-four hours, wondering just what it is and how it works and can it reallybe as dreadful as all that." He tightened some things here, loosened some more over there, tugged andpatted and shaped.The Machine looked so silly Westley was tempted to giggle. Instead, he groaned again."I'll leave you to your imagination, then," the Count said, and he looked at Westley. "But I want you toknow one thing before tomorrow night happens to you, and I mean it: you are the strongest, the mostbrilliant and brave, the most altogether worthy creature it has ever been my privilege to meet, and I feelalmost sad that, for the purposes of my book and future pain scholars, I must destroy you. book-quoteAll right. Your name before mine. You are the greatest sword maker, you deserve to come first.""Have a good trip back.""WHY WON'T YOU?""Because, my friend Yeste, you are very famous and very rich, and so you should be, because you makewonderful weapons. But you must also make them for any fool who happens along. I am poor, and noone knows me in all the world except you and Inigo, but I do not have to suffer fools.""You are an artist," Yeste said."No. Not yet. A craftsman only. But I dream to be an artist. I pray that someday, if I work with enoughcare, if I am very very lucky, I will make a weapon that is a work of art. Call me an artist then, and I willanswer. book-quote
