“ As a selfish man will impoverish his family and often bring them to ruin, so a selfish king brings ruin on his people and often plunges them into war. ”
William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1847). copy citation
| Author | William Makepeace Thackeray |
|---|---|
| Source | Vanity Fair |
| Topic | war family |
| Date | 1847 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | https://www.gutenberg.org/files/599/599-h/599-h.htm |
Context
“On Selfishness—Of all the vices which degrade the human character, Selfishness is the most odious and contemptible. An undue love of Self leads to the most monstrous crimes and occasions the greatest misfortunes both in States and Families. As a selfish man will impoverish his family and often bring them to ruin, so a selfish king brings ruin on his people and often plunges them into war.
Example: The selfishness of Achilles, as remarked by the poet Homer, occasioned a thousand woes to the Greeks—muri Achaiois alge etheke— (Hom. Il. A. 2) . The selfishness of the late Napoleon Bonaparte occasioned innumerable wars in Europe and caused him to perish, himself, in a miserable island—that of Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.”
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