Whose best and most fruitful gift was the power of admiration, which made it possible for me to learn. Now, as in my youth, I am looking up to the truly great creations of the past, which I see high above my own and which alone deserve the name of greatness.
Letters of Thomas Mann, 1889-1955 (ed. Univ of California Press, 1975) - ISBN: 9780520069688