Quote by John Morley

They act as if they supposed that to be very sanguine about the general improvement of mankind is a virtue that relieves them from taking trouble about any improvement in particular.

They act as if they supposed that to be very sanguine about

Summary

This quote criticizes those who have a positive outlook on the overall progress of humanity but fail to actively engage in making specific improvements themselves. It suggests that having a general optimism about mankind's improvement should not excuse one from making efforts to bring about real change in the world. In other words, being too idealistic or hopeful without taking any action or effort is seen as an apathetic approach to betterment.

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