*
After all, I thought, our satirist has just gone far enough
into his neighbours to find that the outside is false,
without caring to go farther and discover what is really
true. He is content to find that things are not what they
seem, and broadly generalises from it that they do not
exist at all. He sees our virtues are not what they
pretend they are; and, on the strength of that, he denies
us the possession of virtue altogether. He has learned the
first lesson, that no man is wholly good; but he has not
even suspected that there is another equally true, to wit,
that no man is wholly bad.
*
Or take the case of men of letters. Every piece of work
which is not as good as you can make it, which you have
palmed off imperfect, meagrely thought, niggardly in
execution, upon mankind, who is your paymaster on parole,
and in a sense your pupil, every hasty or slovenly or
untrue performance, should rise up against you in the court
of your own heart and condemn you for a thief.
*
Sympathy is a thing to be encouraged, apart from humane
considerations, because it supplies us with the materials
for wisdom. It is probably more instructive to entertain a
sneaking kindness for any unpopular person.... than to give
way to perfect raptures of moral indignation against his
abstract vices.
*
In the best fabric of duplicity there is some weak point,
if you can strike it, which will loosen all.
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