 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
The boa constrictor, when he has had an adequate meal, goes to sleep, and does not wake until he needs another meal. Human beings, for the most part, are not like this. When the Arabs, who had been used to living sparingly on a few dates, acquired the riches of the Eastern Roman Empire, and dwelt in palaces of almost unbelievable luxury, they did not, on that account, become inactive. Hunger could no longer be a motive, for Greek slaves supplied them with exquisite viands at the slightest nod. But other desires kept them active: four in particular, which we can label acquisitiveness, rivalry, vanity, and love of power.
Source： Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, part II: The Conflict of Passions, chapter 2: Politically important desires, n.3
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If you don't know what ‘boa constrictor’ means, you are likely to mistake the next ‘he’ for a human being. The ‘sea’ and ‘earth’ are taken by ‘she’, and ferocious animals such as the ‘boa constrictor’ (South American serpent) are taken by ‘he’, but be careful not to make a common mistake.
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