quote · Legacy record
It is not because men’s desires are strong that they act ill; it is because their consciences are weak. There is no natural connection between strong impulses and a weak conscience. The natural connection is the other way. To say that one person’s desires and feelings are stronger and more various than those of another, is merely to say that he has more of the raw material of human nature, and is therefore capable, perhaps of more evil, but certainly of more good. Strong impulses are but another name for energy.
It is not because men’s desires are strong that they act ill; it is because their consciences are weak. There is no natural connection between strong impulses and a weak conscience. The natural connection is the other way. To say that one person’s desires and feelings are stronger and more various than those of another, is merely to say that he has more of the raw material of human nature, and is therefore capable, perhaps of more evil, but certainly of more good. Strong impulses are but another name for energy.
Approximate author period: c. 1839 AD · industrial
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- Author or tradition
- John Stuart Mill
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
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- Approximate author period: c. 1839 AD · industrial
Approximate author-period anchor from life dates 1806 to 1873; Wikidata Q50020, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q50020 (accessed 2026-10-08). Not a quotation composition date.
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 155809; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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