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Taking over from Arabs and Africans, it instituted the transatlantic slave trade, but it also engendered abolitionism and put an end to slavery before other nations did.

— Pascal Bruckner The Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western Masochism (2010)

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More quotes by Pascal Bruckner

It is a poisoned gift, but one that is indispensable for the survival of humanity.

The Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western Masochism (2010)

Europe got over the loss of its colonies much more quickly than the colonies got over their loss of Europe.

The Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western Masochism (2010)

Let us cease to confuse the necessary evaluation of ourselves with moralizing masochism. There comes a time when remorse becomes a second offence that adds to the first without cancelling it.

The Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western Masochism (2010)

“We are not afraid of death,” the suicide bombers say to show their superiority to ordinary people. But they are afraid of life, constantly trampling on it, slandering it, destroying it, and training children still in their cradles for martyrdom.

The Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western Masochism (2010)

We are not going to confine women to the home, cover their heads, lengthen their skirts, or beat up gay people, prohibit alcohol, censure film, theater, and literature, and codify tolerance in order to respect the overly sensitive whims of a few sanctimonious persons.

The Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western Masochism (2010)

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