Quotation
Quote by Adam Ferguson
Mankind, in following the present sense of their minds, in striving to remove inconveniencies, or to gain apparent and contiguous advantages, arrive at ends which even their imagination could not anticipate.
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People often act on the ideas and needs that seem most pressing at the time. By trying to remove immediate difficulties or gain nearby advantages, they may set events in motion that lead to results they never imagined. The quote highlights how limited short-term aims can produce unexpected long-term consequences.
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- Source
- Project Gutenberg, An Essay on the History of Civil Society
- Format
- Official Statement
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