“ Consequences are unpitying. Our deeds carry their terrible consequences, quite apart from any fluctuations that went before—consequences that are hardly ever confined to ourselves. ”
George Eliot, Adam Bede (1859). copy citation
| Author | George Eliot |
|---|---|
| Source | Adam Bede |
| Topic | consequences |
| Date | 1859 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/507/507-h/507-h.htm |
Context
““ But surely you don't think a man who struggles against a temptation into which he falls at last as bad as the man who never struggles at all? ” “ No, certainly; I pity him in proportion to his struggles, for they foreshadow the inward suffering which is the worst form of Nemesis. Consequences are unpitying. Our deeds carry their terrible consequences, quite apart from any fluctuations that went before—consequences that are hardly ever confined to ourselves. And it is best to fix our minds on that certainty, instead of considering what may be the elements of excuse for us. But I never knew you so inclined for moral discussion, Arthur? Is it some danger of your own that you are considering in this philosophical, general way? ””
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