Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Today's Maxwell Quote

 From Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward (1977), 2-3:
The webbing of the world contains so many ways to clasp us. The peer pressure that advances one his first step toward the tragedy of alcoholism. The devilish juvenile dare that draws one into fornication, which unrepented of foreshadows later adultery. The cutting of a corner to avoid embarrassment that leads one to lying on an as-needed basis. The natural desire for recognition that is twisted just enough to set a soaring ego free, causing a little leapfrogging of one's perceived competitors and ending up in a hellish heedlessness of others. A tendency to hold back on the giving of one's time and talents that mushrooms into a monastic or hedonistic life-style. A discerning eye for flaws in others that soon focuses on searching for their shortcomings. Little trends later become terrible traits.