“This sentimentality amalgamating the springs of egotism bereaves the soul’s longing of all its greatness.

“The anxiety to attribute all our impressions to emotion is only a way of intensifying it for our personal satisfaction, at the expense of a sentiment far deeper and more serious, which never blossoms under the shadow of egotism and of frivolous sentimentality.

“Never will common sense have the chance to manifest itself in those who permit such ephemeral and enfeebling impressions to implant themselves in their souls.

“However they must be pitied because their artificial emotion often results in a sorrow which is not lessened by repetition, but whose manifestation is none the less prejudicial to the peace of their being.

“All those who do not harmonize common sense and the emotions of the heart become passive to the investiture of a sentimentality which does not wait to know if the object be worthy of them before it exists in consciousness.

“From this state of mind arise disillusions and their recurrence entails a defect in the conception.

“Men who are often deceived in allowing themselves to feel a sorrow which is only based on the longings of sentimentality become pessimists quickly and deny the existence of deep and enduring affection judged from its superior expression.

“This superior expression of sentiment is freed from all personality and such judgment which differentiates it from other sentiments.

“If we wished to appeal to common sense we should acknowledge, too often, that in the search for expansion we have only recognized the opportunity to satisfy the inclination which urges us to seek for pleasure.

“Sentiment reasons, and is capable of devotion.  Sentimentality excludes reflective thought and ignores generosity.

“We are capable of sacrificing ourselves for sentiment.

“Sentimentality exacts the sacrifice of others.

“Therefore, profiting by the principles already developed, he who cultivates common sense will never fail to reason in the following manner: 

“Opening the symbolic fan, he will encounter, after perfection, the memory which will suggest to him the recollections of personal and strange experiences and he will record this fact:  abegation is rarely encountered.

“The inclination of our thoughts will suggest to us the difficulties there are in searching for it.

“Deduction will acquaint us with the temerity of this exaction, and precaution will attract our thoughts to the possibility of suffering which could proceed from disillusion.

“Following this, reasoning and judgment will intervene in order to hasten the conclusion formulated by common sense.

“It follows then that, abnegation being so rare, common sense indicates to me that it would be imprudent for me to allow my happiness to rest upon the existence of a thing so exceptional.