My fame is constantly growing; I am regarded as an unheard-of and quite unclassifiable phenomenon; pamphlets and newspaper articles are being written about me wholesale; ignorance and admiration grow heated about me and the whole thing leaves me indescribably indifferent. It would be impossible for me to write a word for the papers, so disgusted am I by the hopeless misunderstanding of my writings, while the very essence of my being and my views of life are still almost totally uncomprehended. I may take comfort from one thing, however. I am not only admired, but loved as well. Where criticism ends, love begins and has brought many a heart near to me. Yet this love must always be a far-away thing; it only touches my life very indirectly, and in the circumstances of that life as it is at present I can only gaze upon this kingdom of love from a vast distance. If I could only become a regular egotist I should do better, but things must be as they may and, like you, it is through resignation alone that I can at least maintain the integrity of my nature.
Richard Wagner
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner, Volume 1, ed. Altmann/Hull (London: Dent, 1927), No. 243