“Every court must have its fool, every great ideal must attract some who are motivated only by self-interest.”

— Michael Moorcock , book The Runestaff

Book 1, Chapter 7 “A Well-Known Traveler” (p. 413)
The Runestaff (1969)

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Michael Moorcock 224

English writer, editor, critic 1939

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“He was a fool,” said Willow calmly to Klein. “There are many who refuse their responsibilities. Fooling themselves they search for a ‘higher ideal’. He was a fool.”
“What are responsibilities?” said Klein laconically. “He knows. Responsibility, my dear, is another word for self-interest. For survival.”

Michael Moorcock (1939) English writer, editor, critic

She looked at Klein uncomprehendingly.
Source: The Sundered Worlds (1965), Chapter 4 (p. 206)

“Every court must have its fool, every great ideal must attract some who are motivated only by self-interest.”

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Michael Moorcock 224

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