Robertson Davies, What's Bred in the Bone

"Wake up! Be yourself, not a bad copy of something else!"

"The little boy nodded at the peony and the peony seemed to nod back. The little boy was neat, clean and pretty. The peony was unchaste, dishevelled as peonies must be, and at the height of its beauty.(...) Every hour is filled with such moments, big with significance for someone."