“ In selfish men caution is as secure an armour for their foes as for themselves. ”
Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897). copy citation
| Author | Bram Stoker |
|---|---|
| Source | Dracula |
| Topic | foes caution selfishness protection greed |
| Date | 1897 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/345/345-h/345-h.htm |
Context
“R. M. Renfield, ætat 59.—Sanguine temperament; great physical strength; morbidly excitable; periods of gloom, ending in some fixed idea which I cannot make out. I presume that the sanguine temperament itself and the disturbing influence end in a mentally-accomplished finish; a possibly dangerous man, probably dangerous if unselfish. In selfish men caution is as secure an armour for their foes as for themselves. What I think of on this point is, when self is the fixed point the centripetal force is balanced with the centrifugal; when duty, a cause, etc., is the fixed point, the latter force is paramount, and only accident or a series of accidents can balance it.”
source
Meaning and analysis
