Mind, I am not preaching anything contrary to accepted morality. I am not advocating free love in this or any other case. Society must go on, I suppose, and society can only exist if the normal, if the virtuous, and the slightly deceitful flourish, and if the passionate, the headstrong, and the too-truthful are condemned to suicide and to madness.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Society requires a mix of virtuous and flawed people to function, while extreme honesty or passion can lead to self-destruction.
- In plain terms
- Society needs normal and deceitful people to work, while the too honest or passionate often suffer.
- What can you take from it?
- Functional societies balance virtue with necessary deceit.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is honesty always best?
- How does society maintain order?
Another view
It justifies deceit as necessary for social stability.
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