... Thucydides is a brilliant Athenian. A sensitive Ionian. The most sensitive author of the ancient world. Genius feeds sensitivity and sensitivity feeds genius. Both exert fierce pressure for expression. They have been captivated by the call to exist. Being has smelled the light. It is uncontrollable. Thucydides feels like a tall and sturdy oak tree. He will let all the winds shake its leaves. Linguistic impartiality is the necessary refuge. His speech will become modern and dignified. Capable of bearing the heavy burden of his genius. He will set his thoughts free. He will bypass linguistic constraints. He will move beyond linguistic standards. He will become the standard himself. But he has moved in inaccessible linguistic abysses. He remains alone and unmatched. Imitation requires identical inwardness. And the gods are generous with fierce parsimony. Thucydides, no one since then.