M. Anquetil du Perron quoted in in Kiśora, K. (2016). Ayodhyā revisited.
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“Whilst two leading European nations are contending in the Carnatic and elsewhere for the supremacy over India in many bloody encounters, a modest missionary quietly and perseveringly pushes his way through pathless jungles and over arid plains, measuring in all thousands of miles, in order to make purely pacific conquest, and benefit thereby humanity – whilst Bengal, the East Coast, the Deccan and Gujarat are the scenes of bloody strifes which the greed of European nations has, if not originated, at least fostered, it is consoling to see that there are still men of science who are untouched by avarice and free from the thirst of gold. We sincerely desire the examples of intelligent travelers like Tieffenthaler might be imitated by some of the Europeans settled in those vast regions. Of what use are the endless armed squadrons, sent thither to uphold material interests, and bring Asia’s treasures to Europe whilst all means of advancing human knowledge are neglected? Prompted by the love of science, and filled with the zeal for the cause of humanity, I hope my wishes will be realized, and the public—I am sure—anxiously watch the efforts of this savant (Tieffenthaler) in the North of Bengal, and will receive with pleasure the results of his exploration in those hitherto little-known regions of Asia.”

— M. Anquetil du Perron quoted

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "“Whilst two leading European nations are contending in the Carnatic and elsewhere for the supremacy over India in many bloody encounters, a modest missionary quietly and perseveringly pushes his way through pathless jungles and over arid plains, measuring in all thousands of miles, in order to make purely pacific conquest, and benefit thereby humanity – whilst Bengal, the East Coast, the Deccan and Gujarat are the scenes of bloody strifes which the greed of European nations has, if not originated, at least fostered, it is consoling to see that there are still men of science who are untouched by avarice and free from the thirst of gold. We sincerely desire the examples of intelligent travelers like Tieffenthaler might be imitated by some of the Europeans settled in those vast regions. Of what use are the endless armed squadrons, sent thither to uphold material interests, and bring Asia’s treasures to Europe whilst all means of advancing human knowledge are neglected? Prompted by the love of science, and filled with the zeal for the cause of humanity, I hope my wishes will be realized, and the public—I am sure—anxiously watch the efforts of this savant (Tieffenthaler) in the North of Bengal, and will receive with pleasure the results of his exploration in those hitherto little-known regions of Asia.”" in the context of "M. Anquetil du Perron quoted in in Kiśora, K. (2016). Ayodhyā revisited." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Joseph Tiefenthaler" (About) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Joseph Tiefenthaler

About Joseph Tiefenthaler

Joseph Tiefenthaler (or Tieffenthaler or Tieffentaller) (27 August 1710 – 5 July 1785) was a Jesuit missionary and one of the earliest European geographers to write about India.