"Laziness and cowardice are the reasons why so great a proportion of men, long after nature has released
them from alien guidance ..., nonetheless gladly remain
in lifelong immaturity, and why it is so easy for others
to establish themselves as their guardians. It is so easy
to be immature. If I have a book to serve as my
understanding, a pastor to serve as my conscience,
a physician to determine my diet for me, and so on,
I need not exert myself at all. I need not think, if
only I can pay: others will readily undertake the
irksome work for me. The guardians who have so
benevolently taken over the supervision of men
have carefully seen to it that the far greatest part
of them ... regard taking the step to maturity as
very dangerous, not to mention difficult. Having
first made their domestic livestock dumb, and
having carefully made sure that these docile
creatures will not take a single step without the
go-cart to which they are harnessed, these
guardians then show them the danger that
threatens them, should they attempt to walk
alone. Now this danger is not actually so great,
for after falling a few times they would in the end
certainly learn to walk; but an example of this
kind makes men timid and usually frightens
them out of all further attempts."
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