“ Man performs actions because they are good for him, and when they are good for other people as well they are thought virtuous ”
W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage (1915). copy citation
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
|---|---|
| Source | Of Human Bondage |
| Topic | action good |
| Date | 1915 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/351/pg351-images.html |
Context
“it sounds less shocking, and your mind wanders from the sty of Epicurus to his garden. But I will speak of pleasure, for I see that men aim at that, and I do not know that they aim at happiness. It is pleasure that lurks in the practice of every one of your virtues. Man performs actions because they are good for him, and when they are good for other people as well they are thought virtuous: if he finds pleasure in giving alms he is charitable; if he finds pleasure in helping others he is benevolent; if he finds pleasure in working for society he is public-spirited; but it is for your private pleasure that you give twopence to a beggar as much as it is for my private pleasure that I drink another whiskey and soda.”
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