["Men commence by love, finish by ambition, and do
not find a quieter seat while they remain there."--La
Bruyere: DU COEUR.]
491.--Extreme avarice is nearly always mistaken,
there is no passion which is oftener further away from
its mark, nor upon which the present has so much
power to the prejudice of the future.
492.--Avarice often produces opposite results: there
are an infinite number of persons who sacrifice their
property to doubtful and distant expectations, others
mistake great future advantages for small present
interests.
[AIME MARTIN says, "The author here confuses greedi-
ness, the desire and avarice--passions which probably have
a common origin, but produce different results. The
greedy man is nearly always desirous to possess, and often
foregoes great future advantages for small present interests.
The avaricious man, on the other hand, mistakes present
advantages for the great expectations of the future. Both
desire to possess and enjoy. But the miser possesses and
enjoys nothing but the pleasure of possessing; he risks
nothing, gives nothing, hopes nothing, his life is centred
in his strong box, beyond that he has no want.
Pages:
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134