"There is … a clever maxim which bears upon what I was saying to you some little while ago, and that is, that unless wicked ideas take root in a naturally depraved mind, human nature, in a right and wholesome state, revolts at crime. Still, from an artificial civilisation have originated wants, vices, and false tastes, which occasionally become so powerful as to stifle within us all good feelings, and ultimately to lead us into guilt and wickedness..."

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Original Language: English

Sources

Chapter 17

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo