---
title: "It was not his to choose from what volume or on which page thereof he… — James Branch Cabell Quote #33 | QuotesBy.net"
description: "It was not his to choose from what volume or on which page thereof he would read; accident, as it seemed, decided that; but the chance-opened page la… — a quote by James Branch Cabell."
image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png"
---

> # It was not his to choose from what volume or on which page thereof he would read; accident, as it seemed, decided that; but the chance-opened page lay unblurred before him, and he saw it with a clarity denied to other men of his generation.

[James Branch Cabell](https://quotesby.net/James-Branch-Cabell)\#33[WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)](https://wa.me/?text=%E2%80%9CIt%20was%20not%20his%20to%20choose%20from%20what%20volume%20or%20on%20which%20page%20thereof%20he%20would%20read%3B%20accident%2C%20as%20it%20seemed%2C%20decided%20that%3B%20but%20the%20chance-opened%20page%20lay%20unblurred%20before%20him%2C%20and%20he%20saw%20it%20with%20a%20clarity%20denied%20to%20other%20men%20of%20his%20generation.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20James%20Branch%20Cabell%20https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FJames-Branch-Cabell%2F33%2F)[X (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%E2%80%9CIt%20was%20not%20his%20to%20choose%20from%20what%20volume%20or%20on%20which%20page%20thereof%20he%20would%20read%3B%20accident%2C%20as%20it%20seemed%2C%20decided%20that%3B%20but%20the%20chance-opened%20page%20lay%20unblurred%20before%20him%2C%20and%20he%20saw%20it%20with%20a%20clarity%20denied%20to%20other%20men%20of%20his%20generation.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20James%20Branch%20Cabell&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FJames-Branch-Cabell%2F33%2F)[Facebook (opens in a new tab)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FJames-Branch-Cabell%2F33%2F)

## More from James Branch Cabell

1. > You touch on a disheartening truth. People never want to be told anything they do not believe already.

[Permalink to quote \#32](https://quotesby.net/James-Branch-Cabell/32/ "Permalink to quote 32")
2. > The Wardens of Earth sometimes unbar strange windows, I suspect - windows which face on other worlds than ours: and They permit this-or-that man to peer out fl…

[Permalink to quote \#34](https://quotesby.net/James-Branch-Cabell/34/ "Permalink to quote 34")
3. > I also begin where he began, and follow wither the dream led him. Meanwhile, I can but entreat you to remember it is only by preserving faith in human dreams t…

[Permalink to quote \#31](https://quotesby.net/James-Branch-Cabell/31/ "Permalink to quote 31")

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