What makes mankind tragic is not that they are the victims of nature, it is that they are conscious of it.

Joseph Conrad

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The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Alone Belief Evil Man Necessary Quite Source Wickedness
God is for men, and religion for women.
JOSEPH CONRAD

God Man One Liner Religion Woman
Everybody had to be thoroughly understood before being accepted.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Acceptance Discover Patience Right Understand
It’s only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Mistake Myself Work
You know I hate, detest, and can’t bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appals me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies – which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world – what I want to forget.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Death Forget Hate Mortal Myself Simplicity World
Everything belonged to him–but that was a trifle. The thing to know was what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Darkness Himself Power
As a general rule, a reputation is built on manner as much as on achievement.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Achievement Build Rule
There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Light Moon Mystery Passionate Soul
It is the mark of an inexperienced man not to believe in luck.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Believe Experience Luck Man Mark
In order to move others deeply we must deliberately allow ourselves to be carried away beyond the bounds of our normal sensibility.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Beyond Carry Move Normal Order Ourselves
A certain simplicity of thought is common to serene souls at both ends of the social scale.
JOSEPH CONRAD

End Serene Simplicity Social Soul
It occurred to me that my speech or my silence, indeed any action of mine, would be a mere futility.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Action Myself Silence Talk
The ethical view of the universe involves us in so many cruel and absurd contradictions that I have come to suspect that the aim of creation cannot be ethical at all.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Creation Cruelty Ethics Mad Universe View
Words, as is well known, are the great foes of reality.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Enemy Friendship Greatness Word
He who wants to persuade should put his trust not in the right argument, but in the right word. The power of sound has always been greater than the power of sense.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Argument Himself Power Right Trust World
I am afraid that if you want to go down into history you’ll have to do something for it.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Afraid History Inspirational Myself Work Yourself
A task, any task, undertaken in an adventurous spirit acquires the merit of romance.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Adventure Romance Spirit Task
Any fool can carry on, but a wise man knows how to shorten sail in time.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Carry Fools Man Time Wisdom
To be a great autocrat you must be a great barbarian.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Achievement Greatness Yourself
Facing it, always facing it, that’s the way to get through. Face it.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Face Hard Time Inspirational Way
It would take too long to explain the intimate alliance of contradictions in human nature which makes love itself wear at times the desperate shape of betrayal. And perhaps there is no possible explanation.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Betrayal Desperate Explanation Human Love Nature Possible Time
All a man can betray is his conscience.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Betrayal Conscience Himself Rule
Give me the right word and the right accent and I will move the world.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Myself Power Right Word World
We live in the flicker — may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling! But darkness was here yesterday.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Darkness Earth Live Long Old Past
It is my belief no man ever understands quite his own artful dodges to escape from the grim shadow of self knowledge.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Art Belief Escape Knowledge Man Quite Shadow Understand
We live as we dream – alone. While the dream disappears, the life continues painfully.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Alone Dreams Life Live Pain
The human heart is vast enough to contain all the world.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Enough Heart Human World

What makes mankind tragic is not that they are the victims of nature, it is that they are conscious of it.

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What makes mankind tragic is not that they are the victims of nature, it is that they are conscious of it.

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