"when the weak want to give an impression of strength they hint meaningfully at their capacity for evil...

...it is by its promise of a sense of power that the evil often attracts the weak." --eric hoffer

i have this ongoing trouble with a chef at work. this quote helps me remember that his meanness is a direct result of his obvious deficiencies, his long list of shortcomings, his looming cowardice.
this quote helps to articulate why so many people who end up as leaders are rotten at it.

i just have to say that the poor man in the encyclopedia photo is probably not evil or weak. well, he may be, but he may also be kind and incredibly courageous. it's just that the patch and strange contraption give him a sinister air.