Quotation by

William Graham Sumner

A drunkard in the gutter is just where he ought to be, according to the fitness and tendency of things. Nature has set upon him the process of decline and dissolution by which she removes things which have survived their usefulness.

Fitness

Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Sumner is saying that a person who drinks excessively and ends up in a bad state is naturally placed there because their behavior leads to a decline that nature expects. He believes that nature eliminates those who no longer serve a useful purpose through this process of deterioration.

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