Leonardo da Vinci was so full of self-loathing and self-doubt that, whenever he tested a new quill, he would scrawl the same unhappy inquiry: “Dimmi, dimmi se mai fu fatta cosa alcuna” (Tell me, tell me if anything ever got done).
Just a juicy little tidbit from a great writer (Hitchens) writing about a good writer (Hughes) writing about the archtypal modern genuis (Leonardo).
Of course we know that Leonardo’s besetting weakness was difficulty finishing things.
Tim,
Warm Greetings.Could you kindly tell me more exactly the source of your amazing Da Vinci quote. You say it is from Hitchens writing about Hughes writing about Da Vicni.Where could I source this Hughes comment on Da Vinci?
Sincerely,
Derick Bingham
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060925/hitchens
Thanks for stopping by.