e humble if we have much knowledge, for it only serves to better
show the vastness of the unknown, and to compare the little we have
discovered for ourselves with the amplitude of that which we owe to the
pains of others.

And, above all, let us be humble if we are virtuous, since no one should
be more sensible of his defects than he whose conscience is illumined,
and since he more than anyone else should feel the need of charity
toward evil-doers, even of suffering in their stead.

* * * * *

"And what about the necessary distinctions in life?" someone may ask.
"As a result of your simplifications, are you not going to destroy that
sense of the difference between men which must be maintained if society
exists at all?"

I have no mind to suppress distinctions and differences. But I think
that what distinguishes a man is not found in his social rank, his
occupation, his dress or his fortune, but solely in himself. More than
any other our own age has pricked the vain bubble of purely outward
greatness. To be somebody at present, it does not suffice to wear the
mantle of an emperor or a royal crown: what honor is there in wielding
power through gold lace, a coat of arms or a ribbon? Not that visible
signs are to be despised; they have their meaning and use, but on
condition that they cover something and not a vacuum. The moment they
cease to stand for realities, they become useless and dangerous. The
only true distinction is superior worth. If you would have social rank
duly respected, you must begin by being worthy of the rank that is your
own; otherwise you help to bring it into hatred and contempt. It is
unhappily too true that respect is diminishing among us, and it
certainly is not from a lack of lines drawn round those who wish to be
respected. The root of the evil is in the mistaken idea that high
station exempts him who holds it from observing the common obligations
of life. As we rise, we believe that we free ourselves from the law,
forgetting that the spirit of obedience and humility should grow with
our possessions and power. So it comes about that those who demand the
most homage make the least effort to merit the homage they demand. This
is why respect is diminishing.

The sole distinction necessary is the wish to become better. The man who
strives to be better becomes more humble, more approachable, more
friendly even with those who owe him allegiance. But as he gains by
being be