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Quote by Francesco Petrarca
English (Source)
Insufficiency gives value to things: if the earth were at every step covered with pearls, they would be trodden under foot like gravel; if the phoenix were like doves, the glory of this bird would perish; plant the balsam tree on all the mountain tops, and the balsam will become a plebeian liquor; all things, once increased in number and quantity, decrease in price. And, on the contrary, by reason of insufficiency, the most trifling things were of great value: thus, in the midst of the shifting sands of Libya, the drop of water from the hand of the Roman commander excited a general envy; during the siege of the city, a hideous animal - the rat - was highly prized; and this surpasses every form of shamelessness: often the scoundrels have prospered only because the able men were wanting; I won't give examples, because he hates to write miserable names, but do we really need examples?