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About this quote

What does it mean?
The timing of death does not correlate with moral character in this view.
In plain terms
Good people sometimes die young while bad people live long.
What can you take from it?
Life outcomes do not always reflect moral worth.

Where it applies

  • explaining suffering
  • theodicy
  • personal loss

Putting it to work

  • accepting unfairness
  • questioning destiny
  • finding meaning

Questions to consider

  • Is life fair?
  • How do you explain early death?

Another view

This is a generalization that may not reflect specific historical cases.

More from Daniel Defoe

  1. All men would be tyrants if they could.

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  2. 'Tis very strange Men should be so fond of being thought wickeder than they are.

    Permalink to quote #6
  3. Reason, it is true, is DICTATOR in the Society of Mankind; from her there ought to lie no Appeal; But here we want a Pope in our Philosophy, to be the infallib…

    Permalink to quote #3

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