Above all, it is not decency or goodness of gentleness that impresses the Middle East, but strength.
“The poets, therefore, however much they adorned the gods in their poems, and amplified their exploits with the highest praises, yet very frequently confess that all things are held together and governed by one spirit or mind.”
“Humor is an affirmation of dignity, a declaration of man's superiority to all that befalls him.”