"Only the history of free peoples is worth our attention; the history of men under a despotism is merely a collection of anecdotes."

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Despite his [Artie Shaw's] affectations of reclusiveness, he never tired of talking about himself, as countless long interviews reveal. I do not recall an anecdote he ever told me that was not in some way intended to convey a sense of his own superiority to everyone. . One wonders how a person of his character could produce such beauty.

— Gene Lees