Example has more followers than reason. We unconsciously imitate what pleases us, and insensibly approximate to the characters we most admire. In this way, a generous habit of thought and of action carries with it an incalculable influence.

Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American epigrammatist, writer, publisher

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought, Vol. 1, “Example” (1862)
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