Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“moderate your desire of victory over your adversary, and be pleased with one over yourself.”
- Source
- The Morals of Chess
- Date
- 1779
Meaning of “moderate your desire of victory over your adversary,…”
Franklin shifts the measure of victory from exploiting another player’s mistakes toward self-command, generosity and the ability to restrain one’s own competitive appetite.
Where does it come from?
The Morals of Chess; Founders Online authoritative Franklin Papers text. The wording begins mid-sentence after Franklin’s condition that the game is not being played rigorously; source context is preserved here.
