A brass balance scale holds a gold coin in one pan and a curved metal claw in the other.

Original artwork, not a still

Le Misanthrope

Molière

It disturbs me no more to find men base, unjust, or selfish than to see apes mischievous, wolves savage, or the vulture ravenous for its prey.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Bad human behaviour is compared with conduct expected from animals. The comparison makes surprise, rather than misconduct alone, the issue: the speaker sees no more reason for disturbance in one case than the other. It expresses a standard of expectation without proving that human choices are beyond judgment.

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