Pity would be no more If we did not make somebody Poor; And Mercy no more could be If all were as happy as we.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Virtues like pity and mercy depend on the existence of others who suffer.
- In plain terms
- Pity and mercy exist because some people are poor and unhappy.
- What can you take from it?
- Some virtues require inequality to exist.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can virtue exist without suffering?
- How should we address inequality?
Another view
Virtue can exist without suffering through prevention.
More from William Blake
But most, thro' midnight streets I hear How the youthful Harlot's curse Blasts the new born Infant's tear, And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.
Permalink to quote #104 My mother groan'd! my father wept. Into the dangerous world I leapt: Helpless, naked, piping loud: Like a fiend hid in a cloud.
Permalink to quote #106 In every cry of every Man, In every Infant's cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forg'd manacles I hear.
Permalink to quote #103
Related quotes
Virtue is its own reward.
Ancius BoethiusAncius Boethius quote #1 No radiant pearl which crested Fortune wears, No gem that twinkling hangs from Beauty's ears, Not the bright stars which Night's blue arch adorn, Nor rising su…
Erasmus DarwinErasmus Darwin quote #3 Compassion is the basis of all morality.
Arthur SchopenhauerArthur Schopenhauer quote #5