“I tell you, if the whole world, and everybody in it, was as weak and frightened as I am now, and as unsure of everything – unsure of themselves, their place in the scheme of things – it’d be a far better place. No more enthusiasts, no heroic deeds, no commitment, just general all-round pusillanimity! I’d be content to live on this earth for all eternity, if somebody’d just show me a corner of it where there’s not always room for heroics. ‘General pusillanimity’ – yes, that’s our remedy for all ills...”