[25]
You have got into the habit of
acting thus, not because in ability you are inferior to your ancestors, but
because it was second nature with them to have a high opinion of themselves,
while you, Athenians, have lost that virtue. You cannot, I suppose, have a proud
and chivalrous spirit, if your conduct is mean and paltry, any more than your
spirit can be mean and humble, if your conduct is honorable and glorious; for
whatever a man's pursuits are, such must be his spirit.
Demosthenes. Demosthenes with an English translation by C. A. Vince, M. A. and J. H. Vince, M.A. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1926.
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