dennis scharnberg

Edwin had decided upon a line of reasoning that went like this:  (1) The one who hates himself can at least respect himself for having the substance necessary to hate himself.  (2) No, it’s this way:  The one who despises himself does so in order to be able to “respect” himself in that way.  (3) It’s all one big contorted act of self-admiration, like everything else.

Benedict Elder,  A Cosmopolitan Paradise.