The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
On why I don't trust democracy without extremely powerful systems of accountability and recall What seems to be generosity is often only disguised ambition - which despises small interests to gain great ones.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True generosity may mask a deeper ambition and disregard for smaller interests in favor of greater gains.
This quote suggests that what appears to be acts of kindness or generosity may actually be driven by self-serving motives. The author warns that in a system like democracy, without strong accountability measures, individuals may prioritize their ambitions over the well-being of smaller, often overlooked interests.
Themes
GenerosityAmbitionDemocracyAccountabilityInterests
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in discussions about political accountability in democratic systems.
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All quotes →Old men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer set bad examples.
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The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind, and they are in continual danger of breaking the skin and bursting out again.
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To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
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