"Ardour in well-doing is a misleading and a treacherous thing. It cries out loudly for employment; you can't satisfy it at first; it wants more and more; it is eager to move mountains and divert the course of rivers. It isn't content till it perspires. And then, too often, when it feels the perspiration on its brow, it wearies all of a sudden and dies, without even putting itself to the trouble of saying, I've had enough of this."
English novelist, playwright, and essayist associated with realist fiction of the early 20th century. He is known for works set in the Potteries region, including The Old Wives Tale and the Clayhanger trilogy. His fiction and criticism made him a major figure in modern English letters.