A trait apart

As things are now, it may well be that the survival of the species will depend upon the capacity to foster a boundless talent for compassion. In the alchemy of man's soul, almost all noble attributes -- courage, love, hope, faith , beauty, loyalty -- can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us . . . We there is compassion, even the poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.