p. 299
“

Man may […] be master of his fate, but he has a precious poor servant. It is easier to command a lapdog or a mule for a whole day than one's own fate for half-an-hour.

— Hilaire Belloc

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Man may […] be master of his fate, but he has a precious poor servant. It is easier to command a lapdog or a mule for a whole day than one's own fate for half-an-hour." in the context of "p. 299" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Hilaire Belloc" (Quotes, The Path to Rome (1902): London: George Allen & Unwin, 1902) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Hilaire Belloc

About Hilaire Belloc

Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (27 July 1870 – 16 July 1953) was a Franco-English writer and poet, known chiefly for his essays and children's books; he was sometimes referred to by the nickname "Old Thunder". Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist.