"<p>The question of whether experience is a shield against the cheap or dangerous temptations of life, which speak with great force, must be answered with denial. Such temptations are false ambition, the temptations of the passions, such as love, acting, worldly success, the temptations of the senses, the excesses of food which are injurious to our health, drink and intoxicants, the passions of the flesh, and even more injurious and dangerous spiritual and moral aberrations, such as revenge, lying, greed. All these dangers and temptations haunt man with obstinate recurrence at every age. Experience, which teaches us that every exaggeration, lie and impure intention leads to disappointment, stumbling, humiliation and sickness, does not prevent us from falling prey to these temptations. Only fidelity to our character, not our experiences, can keep us from falling. There is no absolute good and evil in nature; but there is necessarily evil to man which we cannot reconcile with our character with impunity. Here, then, as always, when we have to decide, we do not inquire whether the temptation offered is good or bad in itself, but only ask, whether what we are about to do is compatible with our character. Worldly experience is not so important as a thorough and unquestioning knowledge of our character. There are inexperienced men who are true to their character and therefore do not fail the worldly test, and there are old, shrewd foxes who cannot adjust their desires to their character, and therefore fail every time and fall shamefully on their faces.</p>"