--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It [will-making] is the latest…" description: "\"It [will-making] is the latest opportunity we have of exercising the natural perversity of the disposition ... This last act of our lives seldom belies..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_it-will-making-is-the-latest-opportunity_2725505.png" --- # It \[will-making\] is the latest opportunity we have of… ![“It [will-making] is the latest opportunity we have of exercising the natural perversity of the disposition ... This last act of our lives seldom belies the former tenor of them for stupidity, caprice, and unmeaning spite. All that we seem to think of is to manage matters so (in settling accounts…” quote by William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_it-will-making-is-the-latest-opportunity_2725505.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_it-will-making-is-the-latest-opportunity_2725505.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_it-will-making-is-the-latest-opportunity_2725505.png) > “It \[will-making\] is the latest opportunity we have of exercising the natural perversity of the disposition ... This last act of our lives seldom belies the former tenor of them for stupidity, caprice, and unmeaning spite. All that we seem to think of is to manage matters so (in settling accounts with those who are so unmannerly as to survive us) as to do as little good, and to plague and disappoint as many people, as possible.” [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human behavior often reflects caprice and spite, with people acting to cause harm rather than good. **In simple terms:** People sometimes act out of spite and nonsense. Key Takeaway Beware of selfish motives in interactions. Themes human nature spite caprice Mood cynical serious Type philosophical social When to use this quote - political discourse - ethical debates - psychology counseling Key Concepts social commentary personal essays Questions to Reflect On - What drives spiteful behavior? - How can we promote goodwill? A Different Perspective May ignore altruistic actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caprice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caprice/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plague/) [Spite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spite/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) [Tenors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenors/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Do you want to be a gentleman, to spite her or to gain her over? Because, if it is to spite her, I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/do-you-want-to-be-a-gentleman-to-spite-her-or-to-gain-her-over/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Envy is the deformed and distorted offspring of egotism; and when we reflect on the strange and disproportioned character of the parent, we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/envy-is-the-deformed-and-distorted-offspring-of-egotism-and-when-we/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Danger is a good teacher, and makes apt scholars. So are disgrace, defeat, exposure to immediate scorn and laughter. There is no opportunity in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/danger-is-a-good-teacher-and-makes-apt-scholars-so-are-disgrace/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [We are the creatures of imagination, passion, and self-will, more than of reason or even of self-interest. Even in the common transactions and daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-the-creatures-of-imagination-passion-and-self-will-more-than/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/misgovernment-is-of-four-kinds-often-in-combination-they-are-1/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [“Writing turns you into somebody who's always wrong. The illusion that you may get it right someday is the perversity that draws you on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/writing-turns-you-into-somebody-who-s-always-wrong-the-illusion-that/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“The perversity of woman!' thought Julien. 'What pleasure, what instinct leads them to betray us?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-perversity-of-woman-thought-julien-what-pleasure-what-instinct/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The evil effect of science upon men is principally this, that by far the greatest number of those who wish to display a knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/the-evil-effect-of-science-upon-men-is-principally-this-that-by-far/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Scripture points out this difference between believers and unbelievers; the latter, as old slaves of their incurable perversity, cannot endure the rod; but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/scripture-points-out-this-difference-between-believers-and/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“Let us not neglect the forbidden. Let us not sophisticate ourselves out of the cheap thrill and chill of it: the story told for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/let-us-not-neglect-the-forbidden-let-us-not-sophisticate-ourselves/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [To offer the complexities of life as an excuse for not addressing oneself to the simpler, more manageable (trivial) aspects of daily existence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-grizzuti-harrison/to-offer-the-complexities-of-life-as-an-excuse-for-not-addressing/) [Barbara Grizzuti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-grizzuti-harrison/) > [“Woman, thy name is perversity!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-way/woman-thy-name-is-perversity/) [Margaret Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-way/) > [It seems to me a measure of the true perversity of the human race, that one of its very few reliably pleasurable activities should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-gross/it-seems-to-me-a-measure-of-the-true-perversity-of-the-human-race/) Otto Gross > [Drawing is one of those things which sit on the uneasy bending line between instinct and instruction, where seeming perversity eventually trumps pleasure as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gopnik/drawing-is-one-of-those-things-which-sit-on-the-uneasy-bending-line/) [Adam Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gopnik/) > [“Like symbolism, decadence puts forth the idea that the function of literature is to evoke impressions and 'correspondences', rather than to realistically depict the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asti-hustvedt/like-symbolism-decadence-puts-forth-the-idea-that-the-function-of/) [Asti Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asti-hustvedt/) ## More by William Hazlitt > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [We are thankful for good-will rather than for services, for the motive than the quantum of favor received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-thankful-for-good-will-rather-than-for-services-for-the-motive/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The discussing the characters and foibles of common friends is a great sweetness and cement of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-discussing-the-characters-and-foibles-of-common-friends-is-a/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Want of principle is power. Truth and honesty set a limit to our efforts, which impudence and hypocrisy easily overleap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/want-of-principle-is-power-truth-and-honesty-set-a-limit-to-our/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/repose-is-as-necessary-in-conversation-as-in-a-picture/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [No act terminating in itself constitutes greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-act-terminating-in-itself-constitutes-greatness/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Vice is man's nature: virtue is a habit--or a mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/vice-is-man-s-nature-virtue-is-a-habit-or-a-mask/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-never-do-anything-well-till-we-cease-to-think-about-the-manner/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/man-is-the-only-animal-that-laughs-and-weeps-for-he-is-the-only/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Those who have had none of the cares of this life to harass and disturb them, have been obliged to have recourse to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/those-who-have-had-none-of-the-cares-of-this-life-to-harass-and/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/poverty-when-it-is-voluntary-is-never-despicable-but-takes-an/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [We are not satisfied to be right, unless we can prove others to be quite wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-not-satisfied-to-be-right-unless-we-can-prove-others-to-be/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test: for it is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-world-judge-of-men-by-their-ability-in-their-profession-and-we/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The best part of our lives we pass in counting on what is to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-best-part-of-our-lives-we-pass-in-counting-on-what-is-to-come/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) [Explore all 671 William Hazlitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## More Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; 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