And I am astonished when I think about it,
How the human mind can sink so low.

Frédéric Bastiat
Complete Works volume I, page 141 (in French)
Letter dated September 29th, 1846

The French version of today’s quote is made of two alexandrine that are set apart in this letter from Frédéric Bastiat and I have no clue about their author – is it from Bastiat himself leaning towards poetry or is it from an author whom everybody knows but me? If anybody knows the answer, I shall be delighted to hear it, please do not hesitate to let me know in the comments section. There would then need only for me to reattribute them to their author if it is the case.

It is after sharing his amazement concerning “the shipowners who expect to multiply transportation thanks to the scarcity of exchanges” that he writes these verses. I find it to be a beautiful euphemism to illustrate the unfathomable extent of human foolishness and this is the reason why I pick up this quote.