Bohemia is nothing more than the little country in which you do not live. If you try to obtain citizenship in it, at once the court and retinue pack the royal archives and treasure and move away beyond the hills.
O. HenryRead
A burglar who respects his art always takes his time before taking anything else.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously suggests that even a burglar can take pride in their craft and be deliberate in their actions.
O. Henry's quote implies that a skilled burglar, like an artist, approaches their work with care and consideration. It plays on the absurdity of equating a criminal's methodical planning with the dedication of a legitimate artist, highlighting a humorous yet insightful view on the nature of craftsmanship in any field, even those deemed illicit.
Themes
BurglarArtCraftsmanshipHumorTime
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to lighten the mood in a discussion about clever criminals.
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Yes, I get dry spells. Sometimes I can't turn out a thing for three months. When one of those spells comes on I quit trying to work and go out and see something of life. You can't write a story that's got any life in it by sitting at a writing table and thinking. You've got to get out into the streets, into the crowds, talk with people, and feel the rush and throb of real life-that's the stimulant for a story writer.
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But the best, in my opinion, was the home life in the little flat--the ardent, voluble chats after the day's study; the cozy dinners and fresh, light breakfasts; the interchange of ambitions--ambitions interwoven each with the other's or else inconsiderable--the mutual help and inspiration; and--overlook my artlessness--stuffed olives and cheese sandwiches at 11 p.m.
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You can't appreciate home till you've left it, money till it's spent, your wife till she's joined a woman's club, nor Old Glory till you see it hanging on a broomstick on the shanty of a consul in a foreign town.
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She had become so thoroughly annealed into his life that she was like the air he breathed--necessary but scarcely noticed.
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