Pierre, Or The Ambiguities - pg. 261

In naturally stong-minded men, however young and inexperienced in some things, those great and sudden emergencies, which but confound the timid and the weak, only serve to call forth all their generous latentness, and teach them, as by inspiration, extraordinary maxims of conduct, whose counterpart, in other men, is only the result of a long, variously-tried and painstaking life. One of those maxims is, that when, through whatever cause, we are suddenly translated from opulence to need, or from a fair fame to a foul; and straightway it becomes necessary not to contradict the thing -- so far as the mere imputation goes, -- to some one previously entertaining high conventional regard for us, and from whom we would now solicit some genuine helping offices; then, all explanation of palliation, should be scorned; promptness, boldness, utter gladiatoriansim, and a defiant non-humility should mark every syllable we breathe, and every line we trace.