Karl Marx: A Biography

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EPILOGUE^420

I'arty, especially in regard to Ireland, the old warrior's small deep-sunk
eyes lighted up, his heavy brows wrinkled, the broad, strong nose and
face were obviously moved by passion, and he poured out a stream of
vigorous denunciation, which displayed alike the heat of his temperament
and the marvellous command he possessed over our language. The con-
trast between his manner and utterance when thus deeply stirred by anger
and his attitude when giving his views on the economic events of the
period was very marked. He turned from the role of prophet and
vehement denunciator to that of the calm philosopher without any appar-
ent effort, and I felt from the first that on this latter ground many a long
year might pass before I ceased to be a student in the presence of a
master.
H. M. Hyndman, Record of an Adventurous Life
(London, 1911 ) pp. 269 ff.


Marx's Confession
Your favourite virtue simplicity
Your favourite virtue in man Strength
Your favourite virtue in woman Weakness
Your chief characteristic Singleness of purpose
Your idea of happiness To fight
Your idea of misery Submission
The vice you excuse most Gullibility
The vice you detest most Servility
Your aversion Martin Tupper^1
Favourite occupation Book-worming
Favourite poet Shakespeare, Aeschylus, Goethe
Favourite prose-writer Diderot
Favourite hero Spartacus, Kepler
Favourite heroine Gretchen
Favourite flower Daphne
Favourite colour Red
Favourite name Laura, Jenny
Favourite dish Fish
Favourite maxim Nihil humani a me alienum puto^2
Favourite motto De omnibus dubitandum^3

NOTES

1. Victorian popular writer.
2. 'I consider that nothing human is alien to me.'
j. 'You must have doubts about everything.'
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