“I say again, if I cannot draw a horse, I will not write THIS IS A HORSE under what I foolishly meant for one.”

— George MacDonald

The Fantastic Imagination (1893)
Context: "But surely you would explain your idea to one who asked you?"
I say again, if I cannot draw a horse, I will not write THIS IS A HORSE under what I foolishly meant for one. Any key to a work of imagination would be nearly, if not quite, as absurd. The tale is there, not to hide, but to show: if it show nothing at your window, do not open your door to it; leave it out in the cold. To ask me to explain, is to say, "Roses! Boil them, or we won't have them!" My tales may not be roses, but I will not boil them.
So long as I think my dog can bark, I will not sit up to bark for him.

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George MacDonald 127

Scottish journalist, novelist 1824–1905

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George MacDonald 127

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