“ Ignorance constitutes our peace of mind; self-deception our felicity. ”
Anatole France, The Gods Are Athirst (1912). copy citation
| Author | Anatole France |
|---|---|
| Source | The Gods Are Athirst |
| Topic | ignorance peace |
| Date | 1912 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Mrs. Wilfrid Jackson |
| Weblink | https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24010/24010-h/24010-h.htm |
Context
“He would be aware of calamities to come and suffer their pains in advance, while he would get no joy of present blessings whose end he would foresee. Ignorance is a necessary condition of human happiness, and it must be owned that in most cases we fulfil it well. We know almost nothing about ourselves; absolutely nothing about our neighbours. Ignorance constitutes our peace of mind; self-deception our felicity."
The citoyenne Gamelin set the soup on the table, said the Benedicite and seated her son and her guest at the board. She stood up herself to eat, declining the chair the citoyen Brotteaux offered her beside him;”
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