Benjamin Jowett, letter (28 May 1865), quoted in Evelyn Abbott and Lewis Campbell, The Life and Letters of Benjamin Jowett, M.A. Vol. I (1897), p. 411
“

I send you some books, one very good book among them, the works of a Saint, and one very bad book, Fable of the Bees—one of those books which are condemned equally by the world and the Church; by the world because it is partly true, and by the Church because it is partly false, or vice versa—one of those books which delight in turning out the seamy side of society to the light. (Don't read it if you object to the coarseness of parts.)

— Benjamin Jowett

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I send you some books, one very good book among them, the works of a Saint, and one very bad book, Fable of the Bees—one of those books which are condemned equally by the world and the Church; by the world because it is partly true, and by the Church because it is partly false, or vice versa—one of those books which delight in turning out the seamy side of society to the light. (Don't read it if you object to the coarseness of parts.)" in the context of "Benjamin Jowett, letter (28 May 1865), quoted in Evelyn Abbott and Lewis Campbell, The Life and Letters of Benjamin Jowett, M.A. Vol. I (1897), p. 411" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Bernard Mandeville" (Quotes about Mandeville) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Bernard Mandeville

About Bernard Mandeville

Bernard Mandeville (or Bernard de Mandeville) (baptised November 20 1670, died January 21 1733) was a Dutch physician, poet and social philosopher who settled in England. Most of his works, including his controversial satire The Fable of the Bees, were written in English.