We are easily shocked by crimes which appear at once in their full magnitude, but the gradual growth of our own wickedness, endeared by interest, and palliated by all the artifices of self-deceit, gives us time to form distinctions in our own favor

Summary

This quote suggests that we are often quick to be appalled by significant crimes that are evident from the beginning. However, the gradual development of our own immoral behavior, fueled by personal gain and justified by self-deception, allows us the luxury of making distinctions that favor ourselves. In other words, we are more likely to find excuses and justifications for our own wrongdoing because we have been slowly desensitized to it over time.

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