“ Real pleasures are those which we share with the crowd; we lose what we try to keep to ourselves alone. ”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, or On Education (1762). copy citation
Author | Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
---|---|
Source | Emile, or On Education |
Topic | pleasure sharing |
Date | 1762 |
Language | English |
Reference | |
Note | Translated by Barbara Foxley |
Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5427/pg5427-images.html |
Context
“Whatever you do, you cannot torment men for ever without experiencing some amount of discomfort; and sooner or later the muttered curses of the people will spoil the flavour of your game.
Again, monopoly destroys pleasure. Real pleasures are those which we share with the crowd; we lose what we try to keep to ourselves alone. If the walls I build round my park transform it into a gloomy prison, I have only deprived myself, at great expense, of the pleasure of a walk; I must now seek that pleasure at a distance. The demon of property spoils everything he lays hands upon.”
source