“With no power to annul the elemental evil in him, though readily enough he could hide it; apprehending the good, but powerless to be it a varnish of conventionalities hiding his barbaric core”
— Herman Melville
Simplified Meaning:
The quote means that a person can act nice and polite on the outside, but still has bad thoughts and feelings deep inside that they can't change.
Related tags
Barbarism Civilization Duality Facade Good vs evil Human nature Inner conflict Moral struggle Self-awarenessFEATURED QUOTES