“A well proportioned mind is one which shows no particular bias; one of which we may safely say that it will never cause its owner to be confined as a madman, tortured as a heretic, or crucified as a blasphemer. Also, on the other hand, that it will never cause him to be applauded as a prophet, revered as a priest, or exalted as a king. Its usual blessings are happiness and mediocrity.”

— Thomas Hardy, book The Return of the Native

Bk. III, ch. 2
The Return of the Native (1878)

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Thomas Hardy171

English novelist and poet 1840–1928

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