“ Just as perishable riches must be despised when they represent vain pleasures, even so must they be resolutely defended by the upright man when they afford him the means of doing good. ”
George Sand, Mauprat (1837). copy citation
| Author | George Sand |
|---|---|
| Source | Mauprat |
| Topic | pleasure meaning |
| Date | 1837 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by John Oliver Hobbes |
| Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Mauprat_(Heinemann) |
Context
“The prior was somewhat embarrassed by the piercing glance I turned on him, but he immediately started on one of those exhibitions of simplicity which are the supreme resource of rogues:
"Mon Dieu! my dear son," he exclaimed, "you do not know, then, the immense consolation a pious soul can derive from the possession of worldly wealth? Just as perishable riches must be despised when they represent vain pleasures, even so must they be resolutely defended by the upright man when they afford him the means of doing good. I will not hide from you that if I were the holy Trappist I would not yield my rights to any one; I would found a religious society for the propagation of the faith and the distribution of alms with the wealth which, in the hands of a brilliant young nobleman like yourself, is only squandered on horses and dogs.”
source
