Character. It is that tendency of the soul that makes one inclined to perform certain actions rather than certain others. Thus a man who rarely or never forgives anything has a vindictive character. I say "rarely" or "never"; for in fact a character is not formed by rigorous constancy but rather by the most usual disposition of the soul.

M. Duclos in his Considérations sur les moeurs  [1] is right in observing that most of the mistakes and follies committed by men come from the fact that their mind and their character are, so to speak, not in equilibrium. Cicero, for instance, had a great mind and a weak soul. That is why he was a great orator and a mediocre statesman. And this is true for many others as well.

Nothing is more dangerous to society than a man without character, that is, whose soul has no dominant disposition. We trust the virtuous man, we distrust the rogue. A man without character shifts from one to the other. It is impossible to guess what he is and we can consider him neither a friend nor an enemy. He is a sort of amphibian, if I can call him that, who can live in any element. This reminds me of Solon's fine law that declared infamous all those who did not take sides in an uprising. He felt that nothing was more to be feared than the undecided character of man.

Notes

1. [Ch. P. Duclos, Considérations sur les moeurs de ce siècle; the first edition appeared in 1750.]