Men think much according to their desires, and they talk and speak much according to their learning and opinions from without; but they act according to their daily habits. Wherefore Machiavelli saith well (though the things which he discusseth are very ugly), that the power of nature, and the attractiveness of speech, are not trustworthy, if they be not augmented by habit. And the thing which he said was, that in order to accomplish a very dangerous plot, a man must not trust in the fierceness of the nature or in the firmness of the word of the person he uses, but he should use a man who has previously done it himself, and who has had the blood of other men on his hands. But Machiavelli did not know a Clement the Beggar, nor a Haviak, nor a Jorgi, nor a Balthasar Gerar; and yet his law remains unshaken, that neither nature nor words are as strong in their promises as habit. One thing only is that superstition is now so prevalent that he who kills for the first time for the sake of superstition is as unmoved as he who kills for the sake of industry; and the determination of oaths is made to be as strong as habit, even in the case of bloodshed. And in things other than superstition the supremacy of custom is everywhere seen; and it is astonishing to see how strong it is, that after confessions, pleadings, promises, and exaggerations, men continue to act as if they were lifeless idols, and as if they were machines turned by the wheels of custom.

We can also see the rule or tyranny of custom, and we can see what it is. The Indians (I am speaking of a sect of their philosophers) will lay themselves down quietly on a heap of wood, and then burn themselves with fire as a sacrifice. Not only so, but those who are wives contend to be burned with the body of their husbands. In ancient times the youth of Sparta used to delight in being flogged on the altar of Diana, without even moving. I remember also that in England in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, an Irish rebel condemned to death petitioned the governor that he might be hanged with a strip of pay instead of a noose, as was the custom with rebels of old. There are some monks in Russia who, for expiation of their sins, will sit up all night in a basin of water, until they are frozen in solid ice. Many examples can be given of the power of habit in both the spiritual and physical aspects of a person's life. Therefore, since habit is the master of life, people should strive to acquire good habits. It is certain that habits are perfect if they begin at an early age, and this is what we call education. Education is actually a habit that begins at an early age.

Therefore it is common that in speech the tongue is more pliable in infancy than after infancy, and is able to learn all grammars and sounds, and the joints of the limbs are more pliable for all kinds of games and sports. For it is true that he who learns at an advanced age cannot bend and stretch as well as he who learns from childhood; except in the case of those who have never fixed their minds, but have kept them open, and are ready for continual improvement; but such cases are very rare. But if the power of individual habits is great, the power of ****some united habits is much greater. For it is in such places that the example of others is a lesson to me, that the company of others is an aid to me, that the spirit of triumph stimulates me, and that glory makes me proud, that the power of habit is said to be at its highest in such places. The propagation of the virtues of nature depends on a well-ordered and well-disciplined society; this is undoubtedly the case. For the state and good government only nourish the virtues that are already grown, and do little to help the seeds of virtue. Sadly, the most effective tools are now being used for the worst of purposes.