Strange fate for man! He must perish if he get that, which he must perish if he strive not after. If he strive not after it he is no better than the brutes, if he get it he is more miserable than the devils. (Samuel Butler (novelist))

Strange fate for man! He must perish if he get that, which he must perish if he strive not after. If he strive not after it he is no better than the brutes, if he get it he is more miserable than the devils.

Samuel Butler (novelist)

Related topics

fate man miserable strange strive

Related quotes

But, after all, the aim of art is to create space - space that is not compromised by decoration or illustration, space within which the subjects of painting can live. View quote
Frank Stella
When I look back on all the worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened. View quote
Winston Churchill
Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self. View quote
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true. View quote
Nathaniel Hawthorne
A process which led from the amœba to man appeared to the philosophers to be obviously a progress - though whether the amœba would agree with this opinion is not known. View quote
Bertrand Russell