History Quotes / RousseauWasRight

->''"For one thing, it is gratuitous to advise any human being to look out for himself. [[HumansAreFlawed You can be sure that he will.]] It is far more difficult to persuade him to help his neighbor to build a dam or to defend a town or to give food he has accumulated to the victims of a famine. But since we must live together, dependent upon one another for many things and services, altruism is necessary to survival. To get people to do needed things is the perennial hard task of government, not to mention of religion and philosophy. That it is right to help someone less fortunate is an idea which has figured in most systems of conduct since the beginning of the race. We often fail. That predatory demon 'I' is difficult to contain but until now we have all agreed that to help others is a right action."''

->''It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams, and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned my ideals; they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.''

->''All things truly wicked start from innocence.''

->''Our will is always for our own good, but we do not always see what that is.''

->''How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some higher principles in his nature, which interests him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it.''

->''Suppose, Christopher now said to himself, I have a Nazi Army at my mercy. I can blow it up by pressing a button. The men in the army are notorious for torturing and murdering civilians--all except one of them, Heinz. Will I press the button? No--wait: Suppose I know that Heinz himself, out of cowardice or moral infection, has become as bad as they are and takes part in all their crimes? Will I press that button, even so? Christopher's answer, given without the slightest hesitation, was: Of course not.''

->"What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you? You're ''alone''!"

->''Most people if left alone and unpressured are really quite pleasant people.''

->"Remember, people are good, in their bones truly good."

->"You taught me that "evil" is just a word. Under the skin, it's simple pain."

->"Never met an irredeemable person... Even the worst monster we have met.... Had some good in him I could appeal too.... in fact he saved us all."

->''No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.''

->''There are dark, evil forces''
->''That hide behind masks.''
->''And to right all the wrongs''
->''Is an impossible task.''
->''Yet at a certain time,''
->''And in a certain place,''
->''Man can redeem''
->''Mankind's disgrace.''
->''The courage of our past''
->''will lead to peace at last.''
->''Even after war so rotten,''
->''So many hearts are gone, but not forgotten.''
-->--"[[Film/UncommonValor Brothers in the Night]]", '''Ray Kennedy'''

->''As bad as bad becomes''
->''It's not a part of you''
-->-- "Time It's Time (8:10)" by Talk Talk

->''All things truly wicked start from innocence.

->''Suppose, Christopher now said to himself, I have a Nazi Army at my mercy. I can blow it up by pressing a button. The men in the army are notorious for torturing and murdering civilians--all except one of them, Heinz. Will I press the button? No--wait: Suppose I know that Heinz himself, out of cowardice or moral infection, has become as bad as they are and takes part in all their crimes? Will I press that button, even so? Christopher's answer, given without the slightest hesitation, was: Of course not."

->Our will is always for our own good, but we do not always see what that is.

->How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some higher principles in his nature, which interests him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it.

->What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you? You're ''alone''!

->Most people if left alone and unpressured are really quite pleasant people.

->Remember, people are good, in their bones truly good.

->You taught me that "evil" is just a word. Under the skin, it's simple pain.

->Never met an irredeemable person... Even the worst monster we have met.... Had some good in him I could appeal too.... in fact he saved us all.

->All things truly wicked start from innocence.
-->-- '''ErnestHemingway'''

->No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.

-->-- Ernest Hemingway

-->-- Ernest Hemmingway

-->-- '''Eleanor Lamb''', ''BioShock2''

-->--'''Batman''', to SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, ''Film/TheDarkKnight''

-->--'''Creator/TerryPratchett'''

-->--'''[[Series/DoctorWho The Eleventh Doctor]]''', ''The Almost People''

->You taught me that 'evil' is just a word. Under the skin, it's simple pain.
-->--'''Eleanor Lamb''', ''BioShock2''

->"Never met an irredeemable person... Even the worst monster we have met.... Had some good in him I could appeal too.... in fact he saved us all."
-->--'''Imca''', ''Roleplay/WeAreOurAdventuringAvatars''

"Never met an irredeemable person... Even the worst monster we have met.... Had some good in him I could appeal too.... in fact he saved us all."

-->--'''Batman''', to TheJoker, ''Film/TheDarkKnight''

-->--'''Batman''', to TheJoker, ''TheDarkKnight''

----

-->--'''TerryPratchett'''

<<|QuotesWiki|>>

-->--'''Eleanor Lamb''', ''BioShock'' 2

-->--'''[[DoctorWho The Eleventh Doctor]]''', ''The Almost People''

->It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.
-->-- '''The Diary of Anne Frank, 1944'''

->No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.
-->--'''Mary Wollstonecraft'''

-->--'''Batman''', to the Joker, ''TheDarkKnight''