Leaving the Theatre after the Performance of a New Comedy

“I burst out, like from a muddy pit! At last, cries and applause! The whole theater is roaring!.. Here is glory! God, how my heart would have pounded back those seven, eight years, how everything in me would have stirred! But that was long ago. I was then young—bold-minded, like a youth. By Providence, which did not let me taste early raptures and praise! Now… But a sensible, cool reason, tempered by years, can teach anyone. You’ll finally learn that applause still means not much and is ready to serve as a reward for everything: whether it’s an actor who grasps the whole secret of a person’s soul and heart, a dancer who manages the skill of drawing flourishes with their feet, or a performer—whether by magic tricks… for all of them the applause roars!”