The doctors tell us of a physical disease called fatty degeneration of the heart… there is a moral malady—fatty degeneration of the soul; sooner or later it attacks every man, however noble his career, who puts self forward in his aims; who values fame because a personal possession. – Frank Lee Benedict, The Price She Paid, 1882

Nature does not deceive us; it is we who deceive ourselves. – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

The study of crime begins with the knowledge of oneself. – Henry Miller, The Air-Conditioned Nightmare, 1945

Be a good animal, true to your animal instincts. – David Herbert Lawrence, White Peacock, 1911