In most old communities there is a common sense even in…
“In most old communities there is a common sense even in sensuality. Vice itself gets gradually digested into a system, is amenable to certain laws of conventional propriety and honor, has for its object simply the gratification of its appetites, and frowns with quite a conservative air on all new inventions, all untried experiments in iniquity.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Society gradually normalizes vice, wrapping it in propriety while resisting new ideas.
In simple terms: Society accepts vice over it seems normal.
Question accepted norms.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- legal reforms
- cultural shifts
- public debates
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What traditions hide harmful practices?
- How can new ideas be introduced respectfully?
Change can be slow and met with resistance.