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Egoism, which is the moving force of the world, and altruism, which is its morality, these two contradictory instincts, of which one is so plain and the other so mysterious, cannot serve us unless in the incomprehensible alliance of their irreconcilable antagonism.

— Joseph Conrad

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More quotes by Joseph Conrad

Woe to the man whose heart has not learned while young to hope, to love — and to put its trust in life!!

The sea never changes and its works, for all the talk of men, are wrapped in mystery.

Typhoon (1902)

An artist is a man of action, whether he creates a personality, invents an expedient, or finds the issue of a complicated situation.

The Mirror of the Sea (1906)

It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.

An Outcast of the Islands (1896)

The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.

Under Western Eyes (1911)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Joseph Conrad (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.