In a dispassionate view the ardour for reform, improvement for virtue, for knowledge, and even beauty is only a vein sticking up for appearances as though one were anxious about the cut of ones clothes in a community of blind men.

Joseph Conrad
About This Quote

In a dispassionate view, the ardour for reform, improvement for virtue, for knowledge, and even beauty is only a vein sticking up for appearances as though one were anxious about the cut of ones clothes in a community of blind men. This quote is from the book "The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci" by E. V. Lucas.

It was a dialogue between two characters who debate why one should be concerned with culture or beauty rather than looking at what is true and real. The characters argue that even beauty and culture are not always something to be admired but should be looked at as useful tools to help us understand truth and reality.

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