[b]Thucydides
Indeed it is generally the case that men are readier to call rogues clever than simpletons honest, and are ashamed of being the second as they are proud of being the first.[/b]
It still is. You know, thousands of years later.
People are inclined to accept all stories of ancient times in an uncritical way -even when those stories concern their own native counties…Most people, in fact, will not take trouble in finding out the truth, but are more inclined to accept the first story they hear.
They still are. You know, thousands of years later.
I think the two things most opposed to good counsel are haste and passion; haste usaully goes hand in hand with folly, passion with coarseness and narrowness of mind.
Among others, Black Jew Witch is now able to confirm that.
To fit in with the change of events, words, too, had to change their usual meanings. What used to be described as a thoughtless act of aggression was now regarded as the courage one would expect to find in a party member; to think of the future and wait was merely another way of saying one was a coward; any idea of moderation was just an attempt to disguise one’s unmanly character; ability to understand a question from all sides meant that one was totally unfitted for action. Fanatical enthusiasm was the mark of a real man, and to plot against an enemy behind his back was perfectly legitimate self-defence. Anyone who held violent opinions could always be trusted, and anyone who objected to them became a suspect.
Again, some things never change.
A man who has the knowledge but lacks the power clearly to express it is no better off than if he never had any ideas at all.
A woman too. Or so some will insist.
The way that most men deal with traditions, even traditions of their own country, is to receive them all alike as they are delivered, without applying any critical test whatever.
Some will even reconfigure this into philosophy.