"stendhal possessed a head full of theories; but he lacked the gifts of a theoretician. in this, as in other things, he resembles our baroja, who reacts in an abstract way to every human problem. both, if regarded without necessary caution, present the picture of philosophers gone astray into literature. and, yet, they are exactly the opposite. to recognise this difference it is sufficient to note that both possess an abundant collection of theories. the genuine philosopher, on the other hand, does not have more than one. this is symptomatic of the essential difference between a true theoretical temperament and a merely apparent one."

oh dear.

i have finally got hold of ortega y gasset's 1957 book of essays (on love: aspects of a single theme) four years after first encountering him in nooteboom. unfortunately i will have to take it right back to the library without finishing. tant pis. i don't know which book it was in which he said that about the giraffes though.