Pierre Nicole Quotes
When we hide our failings from others, we seek to hide them from ourselves, and it is in the latter attempt that we are most successful.
Nicole, Pierre. Essais de morale. Vol. 3, Guillaume Desprez, 1675.
A very passionate minority of India’s Muslims demanded a separate Islamic State (that would become Pakistan) but Hindu’s and Muslims were mixed throughout India and many Indians and British were concerned that there would be a bloodbath if the plans for independence went forward. When the decision had been made to partition India, Radcliffe had the unenviable task of deciding where the boundary was to be between Pakistan and India. No one on either side was satisfied with his effort. So, realizing that violence was about to break out, he packed quickly and went back to England. Over two million Indians were killed in the violence that broke out in the next weeks as there was a huge migration and ethnic cleansing to implement Radcliffe’s boundaries. Fifty years later, both India and Pakistan acknowledge that Radcliffe did a very reasonable job.
Pierre Nicole was one of the most distinguished of the French Jansenists.
