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On the Geography of VirtueToday's Deep Dive

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Edge of Goodness

Work

Essays

Chapter

COMPENSATION

Edge of GoodnessHypocrisyPhilanthropy

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"
If malice and vanity wear the coat of philanthropy, shall that pass? If an angry bigot assumes this bountiful cause of Abolition, and comes to me with his last news from Barbadoes, why should I not say to him: “Go love thy infant; love thy wood-chopper: be good-natured and modest: have that grace; and never varnish your hard,...

- Essays

Today's Analysis

Emerson argues that authentic goodness must be rooted in immediate, local relationships, warning that distant philanthropy often masks domestic cruelty.

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