is very difficult for a man to bear,
and it is hardest of all
when the pity is deserved.
Hatred is a tonic
it quickens life
and stimulates revenge;
but pity is death to us
it makes our weakness weaker still.
It is as if distress
simpered ingratiatingly at us;
contempt lurks in the tenderness,
or tenderness in an affront."
(Honoré de Balzac - The Wild Ass's Skin)
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