All men seek esteem; the best by lifting themselves, which is hard to do, the rest by shoving others down, which is much easier.
Mary RenaultPower is the test. Some, once they have it, are content to buy the show of liking, and punish those who withhold it; then you have a despot. But some keep a true eye for how they seem to others, and care about it, which holds them back from much mischief.
Mary RenaultHalf the world's troubles come from men not being trained to resent a fallacy as much as an insult.
Mary RenaultThere is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare.
Mary Renault