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Quotation from Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill
“Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance”
Utilitarianism, Chapter II (7th edition (1879))
Mill explains why people who start with high ideals often sink into lower pleasures: not by choice but because circumstances starve their higher capacities.
Citation: "Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance" — John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapter II (7th edition (1879)). (id utilitarianism-q3)
Portrait: John Stuart Mill by London Stereoscopic Company, c1870, London Stereoscopic Company, Public domain.
