St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in instructing catechumens, wrote: “The dragon sits by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.” No matter what form the dragon may take, it is of this mysterious passage past him, or into his jaws, that stories of any depth will always be concerned to tell, and this being the case, it requires considerable courage at any time, in any country, not to turn away from the storyteller. ✨ Flannery O'Connor (1969). Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose, p.35, Macmillan
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- There was already a deep black wordless conviction in him that the way to avoid Jesus was to avoid sin. ✨ Flannery O'Connor (2015). Wise Blood, p.18, Faber & Faber
- Remember that you don't write a story because you have an idea but because you have a believable character. ✨ Flannery O'Connor (1988). The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor, p.363, Macmil … ▶
- Whenever I’m asked why Southern writers particularly have a penchant for writing about freaks, I say it is because we are still able to recognize one. ✨ Flannery O'Connor (1969). Mystery and Manners: … ▶
- The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. ✨ Flannery O'Connor (1988). The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor, p.100, Macmillan
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