African Spir Quotes

The intellectual development of man, far from having gotten men away from war, has rather, on the contrary, brought them to a more perfected refinment in the art of killing.

Deep down, everything comes down to the following simple question: Do we really want justice and the realization in this world of higher principles? Or else do we want to serve selfish, short-sighted interests, which, when all is said and done, are also detrimental to those very same people that pursue them?

The realization of justice is, in the actual state of things, a matter of life or death for society and for civilisation itself.

La réalisation de la justice est, dans l’état actuel des choses, une question de vie ou de mort pour la société et pour la civilisation elle-même.

In life we only try to produce, to win, and enjoy the more we can; in science, to discover and invent the more we can; in religion, to dominate on the greatest number of people we can; whereas the forming of the character, the further development of the faculties of the intelligence, the refinement of the consciousness and of the heart, are considered incidental things.

Place a spider on top of a mountain and it will only try to catch flies; alas, they are many who, in the figurative meaning, have spider's eyes.

The well understood equity as well as interest of society demand that we work much more to prevent crimes and offenses than to punish them.

The most sacred duty, the supreme and urgent work, is to deliver humanity from the malediction of Cain - fratricidal war.

Nothing depicts better the poverty of human nature than to see men, placed as the leaders of nations, be preoccupied only with their own prestige and their own personal interest.

In the actual state of social relationships, the forms of politeness are necessary as a subsitute for benevolence.

To spend for destruction ten times more than for instruction, such is the fashion in our time; and men seriously regard themsleves as rational beings!

To succeed in brilliant businesses, to achieve great success, that is what the ambition and efforts of the majority of men aim for. But at the end of the day what do they get for it? Softer cushions, better meat, maybe decorations or medals - that is all. And to think that there are found serious men who consume their whole existence in the pursuit and the expectation of these trivialities.

By devoting ourselves too exclusively to the pursuit of material happiness and ephemeral goods, we ignore the true realities of life and allow our spirit to wither and dry up.

En s'adonnant trop exclusivement à la recherche d'un bonheur matériel, de biens éphémères, on méconnaît les vraies réalités dela vie et on laisse s'étioler et se dessécher l'esprit.

The more gifted by nature is a man, the more is deplorable the abuse that he does by using them to shameful ends. A swindler or crook of higher condition is more blameworthy than a vulgar scoundrel; an intelligent evil-doer, having benefited from a higher education, represents a more saddening phenomenon than an unfortunate illiterate fellow having committed an offence.