--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have therefore to inquire what there…" description: "\"“We have therefore to inquire what there is about Machiavelli to impress the mind of Europe so prodigiously and so curiously, and why the European mind..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/t-s-eliot-2-1761_divine-grace_we-have-therefore-to-inquire-what-there_136777.jpg" --- # We have therefore to inquire what there is about… ![“We have therefore to inquire what there is about Machiavelli to impress the mind of Europe so prodigiously and so curiously, and why the European mind felt it necessary to deform his doctrine so absurdly. There are certainly contributing causes. The reputation of Italy as the home of fantastic…” quote by T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/t-s-eliot-2-1761_divine-grace_we-have-therefore-to-inquire-what-there_136777.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/t-s-eliot-2-1761_divine-grace_we-have-therefore-to-inquire-what-there_136777.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/t-s-eliot-2-1761_divine-grace_we-have-therefore-to-inquire-what-there_136777.jpg) > ““We have therefore to inquire what there is about Machiavelli to impress the mind of Europe so prodigiously and so curiously, and why the European mind felt it necessary to deform his doctrine so absurdly. There are certainly contributing causes. The reputation of Italy as the home of fantastic, wanton and diabolical crime filled the French, and still more the English, imagination as they are now filled by the glories of Chicago or Los Angeles, and predisposed imagination toward the creation of a mythical representative for this criminality. But still more the growth of Protestantism — and France, as well as England, was then largely a Protestant country — created a disposition against a man who accepted in his own fashion the orthodox view of original sin. Calvin, whose view of humanity was far more extreme, and certainly more false, than that of Machiavelli, was never treated to such opprobrium; but when the inevitable reaction against Calvinism came out of Calvinism, and from Geneva, in the doctrine of Rousseau, that too was hostile to Machiavelli. For Machiavelli is a doctor of the mean, and the mean is always insupportable to partisans of the extreme. A fanatic can be tolerated. The failure of a fanaticism such as Savonarola's ensures its toleration by posterity, and even approving patronage. But Machiavelli was no fanatic; he merely told the truth about humanity. The world of human motives which he depicts is true — that is to say, it is humanity without the addition of superhuman Grace. It is therefore tolerable only to persons who have also a definite religious belief; to the effort of the last three centuries to supply religious belief by belief in Humanity the creed of Machiavelli is insupportable. Lord Morley voices the usual modern hostile admiration of Machiavelli when he intimates that Machiavelli saw very clearly what he did see, but that he saw only half of the truth about human nature. What Machiavelli did not see about human nature is the myth of human goodness which for liberal thought replaces the belief in Divine Grace.”” [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage critiques how Machiavelli’s realistic view of human nature clashes with religious and cultural narratives that favor extremes or mythic representations, leading to his misinterpretation and vilification. **In simple terms:** Machiavelli’s truth about humanity is rejected because it lacks religious or heroic framing. Key Takeaway Recognize bias when interpreting ideas that challenge dominant beliefs. Themes philosophy history religion political theory interpretation Mood critical reflective skeptical Type analytical historical critical When to use this quote - academic debate - public discourse - historical analysis - cultural criticism - education Key Concepts human nature bias mythmaking religious doctrine political extremism Questions to Reflect On - How do our cultural narratives shape the reception of controversial ideas? - Can we separate a thinker’s observations from the moral judgments attached to them? A Different Perspective Machiavelli’s insights are dismissed when they conflict with prevailing moral or ideological frameworks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Divine grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-grace/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Los angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/los-angeles/) [Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machiavelli/) [Original sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-sin/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“Wasn’t it Machiavelli who said ‘Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-brasher/wasn-t-it-machiavelli-who-said-any-man-who-tries-to-be-good-all-the/) Darius Brasher > [“Without an opportunity, their abilities would have been wasted, and without their abilities, the opportunity would have arisen in vain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/without-an-opportunity-their-abilities-would-have-been-wasted-and/) [Machiavelli Niccolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/) > [“I did not have an answer for the maestro that day. 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There are certainly contributing causes. The reputation of Italy as the home of fantastic, wanton and diabolical crime filled the French, and still more the English, imagination as they are now filled by the glories of Chicago or Los Angeles, and predisposed imagination toward the creation of a mythical representative for this criminality. But still more the growth of Protestantism — and France, as well as England, was then largely a Protestant country — created a disposition against a man who accepted in his own fashion the orthodox view of original sin. Calvin, whose view of humanity was far more extreme, and certainly more false, than that of Machiavelli, was never treated to such opprobrium; but when the inevitable reaction against Calvinism came out of Calvinism, and from Geneva, in the doctrine of Rousseau, that too was hostile to Machiavelli. For Machiavelli is a doctor of the mean, and the mean is always insupportable to partisans of the extreme. A fanatic can be tolerated. The failure of a fanaticism such as Savonarola's ensures its toleration by posterity, and even approving patronage. But Machiavelli was no fanatic; he merely told the truth about humanity. The world of human motives which he depicts is true — that is to say, it is humanity without the addition of superhuman Grace. It is therefore tolerable only to persons who have also a definite religious belief; to the effort of the last three centuries to supply religious belief by belief in Humanity the creed of Machiavelli is insupportable. Lord Morley voices the usual modern hostile admiration of Machiavelli when he intimates that Machiavelli saw very clearly what he did see, but that he saw only half of the truth about human nature. What Machiavelli did not see about human nature is the myth of human goodness which for liberal thought replaces the belief in Divine Grace.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "T.S. 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