A man, engaged in his simple reflections in everyday life, will comprehend neither the possibility, nor the benefits of self-sacrifice, but, when given (“qu’on lui donne”, Fr.) a great cause to defend, and he will find only natural to sacrifice oneself for it.
AFRIKAN SPIRIn the actual state of social relationships, the forms (“formes”, Fr.) of politeness are necessary as a subsitute to benevolence.
More Afrikan Spir Quotes
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The well understood equity as well as interest of society demand that we work on much more to prevent crime and offenses than to punish them.
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The military predominace of Sparte. This example proves that man can everything on themselves when they want it (“peuvent tout sur eux-mêmes quand ils le veulent”, Fr.); therefore it would only be a question of making them will the good.
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The more gifted by nature is a man, the more is deplorable the abuse that he does by using them to shameful ends.
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As long as men will not be freed from their errors and delusions, humanity will not be able to go towards (“marcher vers”, Fr.) the accomplishment of its true destinies.
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Men spend their life down here in the worship of petty (or mean) interests and the search of perishable things, and with that (“et avec cela”, Fr.) they pretend to perpetuate for all eternity their self (“moi”, Fr.) so hardly worthy (“digne”, Fr.) of it.
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Religion is not simply a theory, it is a higher life, of which morality is an integral part – a life devoted to the worship of the good and the true, for God, the absolute, is the supreme source of all perfection”
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Moral was a principle of inner life, whereas in our days, most of the time one is content to adhere to an official moral, that we recognize in theory, but that one does not care to put into practice.
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Arbitrariness and true liberty are as distinct from each other that the empirical nature is distinct from the higher nature of man.
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In this world everything that is won to the ideal, is an eternal (or imperishable, – “impérissable”, Fr.) good.
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The first principle from which stems the moral of about all people at all time; it is summarized in this precept: Love thy neighbour as thyself, and: do as you would be done by.
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The intellectual development of man, far from having get men away from war, has, rather, on the contrary, bring them to a refinment always more perfected in the art of killing.
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There is a radical dualism between the empirical nature of man and its moral nature.
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What we take for vainglory, ambition, love of power and riches (or wealth), is often, indeed, a need to mask this emptiness, a need to let one’s hair down (or to live it up), to put oneself on a false scent or trail. (de se donner le change”, Fr.)
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To sacrifice the moral to the physical, as is done in these days, is to sacrifice reality for a shadow.
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The brute appears (or come forward, “apparait”, Fr.) and rule over (or dominate), stifling every (“toute”, Fr.) noble, generous impulse; it is then the ruin (or downfall or decline) of any humanity in man.
AFRIKAN SPIR