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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Unconscious Comedians by Honore de Balzac: clique into the public. One is a republican, another Saint-Simonian;
this one aristocrat, that one Catholic, others juste-milieu, middle
ages, or German, as they choose for their purpose. Now, though
opinions do not give talent, they always spoil what talent there is;
and the poor fellow whom you have just seen is a proof thereof. An
artist's opinion ought to be: Faith in his art, in his work; and his
only way of success is toil when nature has given him the sacred
fire."
"Let us get away," said Bixiou. "Leon is beginning to moralize."
"But that man was sincere," said Gazonal, still stupefied.
"Perfectly sincere," replied Bixiou; "as sincere as the king of
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