Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
"You revolutionists' the other continued, with leisurely self-confidence, 'are the slaves of the social convention, which is afraid of you; slaves of it as much as the very police that stands up in the defence of that convention. Clearly you are, since you want to revolutionize it. It governs your action, too, and thus neither your thought nor your action can ever be conclusive. (...) 'You are not a bit better than the forces arrayed against you -- than the police, for instance. The other day I came suddenly upon Chief Inspector Heat at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. He looked at me very steadily. But I did not look at him. Why should I give him more than a glance ? He was thinking of many things -- of his superiors, of his reputation, of the law courts, of his salary, of newspapers -- of a hundred things. But I was thinking of my perfect detonator only. He meant nothing to me. He was as insignificant as -- I can't call to mind anything insignificant enough to compare him with -- except Karl Yundt perhaps. Like to like. The terrorist and the policeman both come from the same basket. Revolutions, legality -- counter moves in the same game; forms of idleness at bottom identical. He plays his little game -- so do you propagandists."
7 Quotes
"You revolutionists' the other continued, with leisurely self-confidence, 'are the slaves of the social convention, which is afraid of you; slaves of it as much as the very police that stands up in the defence of that convention. Clearly you are, since you want to revolutionize it. It governs your action, too, and thus neither your thought nor your action can ever be conclusive. (...) 'You are not a bit better than the forces arrayed against you -- than the police, for instance. The other day I came suddenly upon Chief Inspector Heat at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. He looked at me very steadily. But I did not look at him. Why should I give him more than a glance ? He was thinking of many things -- of his superiors, of his reputation, of the law courts, of his salary, of newspapers -- of a hundred things. But I was thinking of my perfect detonator only. He meant nothing to me. He was as insignificant as -- I can't call to mind anything insignificant enough to compare him with -- except Karl Yundt perhaps. Like to like. The terrorist and the policeman both come from the same basket. Revolutions, legality -- counter moves in the same game; forms of idleness at bottom identical. He plays his little game -- so do you propagandists."
"أيها الثوريون،" تابع الآخر باطمئنان متروٍّ وثقة هادئة، "أنتم أسرى للعرف الاجتماعي الذي يخشاكم؛ لا يقلّ استعبادكم له عن استعباد الشرطة نفسها التي تدافع عن ذلك العرف. وهذا جليٌّ فيكم، ما دمتم تسعون إلى قلب موازينه. إنه يسيّر حركتكم أيضاً، فلا فكركم ولا فعلكم يمكن أن يبلغ غايةً حاسمة. (...) لستم بأفضل حالٍ قيد أنملة من القوى المصطفة ضدكم – من الشرطة، على سبيل المثال. ذات يوم، صادفتُ فجأةً المفتش العام هيت عند زاوية طريق توتنهام كورت. نظر إليّ بثبات شديد. لكنني لم أنظر إليه. ولمَ أُعِره أكثر من لمحة عابرة؟ كان يفكر في أمور كثيرة – في رؤسائه، في سمعته، في المحاكم، في راتبه، في الصحف – في مئات الأمور. أما أنا، فكنت أفكر في مفجري المتكامل وحسب. لم يكن يعني لي شيئاً البتة. كان ضئيلاً إلى حدٍّ لا أستطيع معه أن أستحضر شيئاً تافهاً بما يكفي لأقارنه به – ربما باستثناء كارل يونت. شبهٌ بشبه. فالإرهابي ورجل الشرطة كلاهما ينبعان من منبعٍ واحد. الثورات، الشرعية – مجرد مناورات متقابلة في اللعبة ذاتها؛ صورٌ من البطالة متماثلة في العمق. هو يمارس لعبته الصغيرة – وكذلك أنتم أيها الدعاة."
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
"A certain simplicity of thought is common to serene souls at both ends of the social scale."
"تتشارك النفوس الهادئة، على طرفي السلم الاجتماعي، بضرب من البساطة في التفكير."
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
"Preparation for the future was necessary, and he was willing to admit that the great change would perhaps come in the upheaval of a revolution. But he argued that revolutionary propaganda was a delicate work of high conscience. It was the education of the masters of the world. It should be as careful as the education given to kings."
"كان الاستعداد للمستقبل ضرورة، وكان مستعداً للاعتراف بأن التغيير العظيم قد يأتي في خضم ثورة. لكنه جادل بأن الدعاية الثورية عمل دقيق يتطلب ضميراً رفيعاً. إنها تعليم سادة العالم. وينبغي أن تكون حذرة بقدر الحذر الذي يُولى لتعليم الملوك."
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
"As a general rule, a reputation is built on manner as much as on achievement."
"القاعدة العامة أن السمعة تُبنى على السلوك بقدر ما تُبنى على الإنجاز."
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
"There too he had been treated with revolting injustice. His struggles, his privations,his hard work to raise himself in the social scale, hadfilled him with such an exalted conviction of his merits that it was extremely difficult for the world to treat him with justice— the standard of that notion depending so much upon the patience of the individual. The Professor had genius, but lacked the great social virtue of resignation."
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
"No man engaged in a work he does not like can preserve many saving illusionsabout himself. The distaste, the absence of glamour, extend from the occupation to the personality. It is only when ourappointed activities seem by a lucky accident to obey the particular earnestness of our temperament that we can taste the comfort of complete self-deception."
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
"All idealisation makes life poorer. To beautify it is to take away its character of complexity — it is to destroy it."
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
✉️
Get more quotes like Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent's — every morning.
Join thousands of wisdom seekers getting daily quotes from 300,000+ curated sources.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
🎉 Check your inbox to confirm your subscription!