" He knew better. He had done all that he would ever do. He had played his little part. He had had his say. There was nothing more degrading than the popular favourite who clings to his pedestal, and with anxious eyes watches the faces of his friends. Thank God he had the sense to know when his time had come. A few more years, and then oblivion. But in the meantime he had to live. "

― Daphne du Maurier , Gerald: A Portrait