We are much beholden to Machiavel and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- We should value writers who describe actual human behavior rather than idealized norms.
- In plain terms
- Appreciate accounts of what people actually do not just what they should do.
- What can you take from it?
- Study real behavior to understand people better.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do people fail to meet ideals?
- Is knowing what people do more useful than what they should do?
Another view
Ideal norms can still guide us even if people don't always meet them.
More from Francis Bacon
But men must know that in this theater of man's life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on.
Permalink to quote #21 All good moral philosophy is but the handmaid to religion.
Permalink to quote #23 They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.
Permalink to quote #20
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