The-Conquest-of-Happiness-by-Bertrand-Russell

environment. The best example, I suppose, is
Robert Browning. I cannot, however, resist the
conviction that there is something stuffy about love
as he conceived it.
God be thanked, the meanest of His creatures
Boasts two soul-sides, one to face the world
with,
One to show a woman when he loves her!
This assumes that combativeness is the only
possible attitude towards the world at large. Why?
Because the world is cruel, Browning would say.
Because it will not accept you at your own
valuation, we should say. A couple may form, as
the Brownings did, a mutual admiration society. It
is very pleasant to have someone at hand who is
sure to praise your work, whether it deserves it or
not. And Browning undoubtedly felt that he was a
fine, manly fellow when he denounced Fitzgerald
in no measured terms for having dared not to
admire Aurora Leigh. I cannot feel that this
complete suspension of the critical faculty on both