“ Madness alone is truly terrifying, inasmuch as you cannot placate it either by threats, persuasion, or bribes. ”
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent (1907). copy citation
| Author | Joseph Conrad |
|---|---|
| Source | The Secret Agent |
| Topic | madness persuasion |
| Date | 1907 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/974/974-h/974-h.htm |
Context
“To that last they can always say: ‘Oh! it’s mere class hate.’ But what is one to say to an act of destructive ferocity so absurd as to be incomprehensible, inexplicable, almost unthinkable; in fact, mad? Madness alone is truly terrifying, inasmuch as you cannot placate it either by threats, persuasion, or bribes. Moreover, I am a civilised man. I would never dream of directing you to organise a mere butchery, even if I expected the best results from it. But I wouldn’t expect from a butchery the result I want.”
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