“Permit me. The labour of these religious was neither an end in itself⁠—that is to say, it was not a narcotic⁠—nor was its purpose to further the progress of the world, or to reap commercial advantage. It was pure penitential discipline, a part of the technique of asceticism, the means of salvation. It mortified the senses, it was a safeguard against the wiles of the flesh. And as such, permit me to point out, it was essentially unsocial. It was pure, unsullied religious egoism.”

“I am much indebted to you for the elucidation, and rejoice to see that the blessings of labour can justify themselves, even against the will of man.”

“Certainly against his intentions, at least. What I am calling your attention to is nothing less than the distinction between the utilitarian and the humane.”

“And what I am calling your attention to is the fact, which I observe with indignation, that you are still dividing the world up into opposing factions.”