of beautiful souls that know not what should be done, and seek only
to yield up their life, holding that to be virtue supreme. They are
wrong; supreme virtue consists in the knowledge of what should be
done, in the power to decide for ourselves whereto we should offer
our life. The duty each holds to be his is by no means his permanent
duty. The paramount duty of all is to throw our conception of duty
into clearest possible light. The word duty itself will often
contain far more error and moral indifference than virtue.
Clytemnestra devoted her life to revenge--she murdered her husband
for that he had slain Iphigenia; Orestes sacrificed his life in
avenging Agamemnon's death on Clytemnestra. And yet it has only
needed a sage to pass by, saying, "pardon your enemies," for all
duties of vengeance to be banished for ever from the conscience of
man. And so may it one day suffice that another sage shall pass by
for many a duty of sacrifice too to be exiled. But in the meanwhile
there are certain ideas that prevail on renouncement, resignation,
and sacrifice, that are far more destructive to the most beautiful
moral forces of man than great vices, or even than crimes.

65. There are some occasions in life, inevitable and of general
bearing, that demand resignation, which is necessary then, and good;
but there are many occasions when we still are able to fight; and at
such times resignation is no more than veiled helplessness,
idleness, ignorance. So is it with sacrifice too, which indeed is
most often the withered arm resignation still shakes in the void.
There is beauty in simple self-sacrifice when its hour has come
unsought, when its motive is happiness of others; but it cannot be
wise, or of use to mankind, to make sacrifice the aim of one's life,
or to regard its achievement as the magnificent triumph of the
spirit over the body. (And here let us add that infinitely too great