The Story of Mankind (1957)

Ronald Colman: The Spirit of Man

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Quotes 

• The Spirit of Man : Once upon a time, there were two angels, one angel said to the other...

  First Angel : This story, here in the newspaper; some fellow down on Earth has actually discovered the secret of the super H-bomb!

  Second Angel : Impossible! You must be mistaken. Why, they're not ready or wise enough to handle it yet. If exploded now, the bomb would blow Man and his Earth sky-high. No one would be left alive.

  First Angel : My, my, the housing shortage up here would be terrible! What'll we do?

• The Spirit of Man : Man was created in the image of God. But there the similarity ends.

• The Spirit of Man : Man had lived though many ages before the first dawning of reason lead him toward the warmth of the fire. After an infinity of groping in the darkness, man was beginning to find some answers. To understand the values which lay in group living and mutual assistance.

• The Spirit of Man : Adam begs to be excused. He is indisposed.

• The Spirit of Man : Noble sirs. Many words have been spoken at this tribunal. Some of the angry and some of them in mild a temper. But whatever the words, I do sincerely believe that down through the ages, the soul of man, misled many times, has survived the deceit of the few and managed to redirect itself through inherent moral strength. My colleague, Mr. Scratch, has maligned and blacked all of mankind for all of time. He does his job well. but that is because it is within him a full time job and over the period of a million years, he has become quite adept at developing man's weaknesses. Yet, man recovers and emerges stronger, more capable than ever. Now all the facts have been presented noble sirs and whatever coloring my opponent has chosen to give them, I'm certain you have seen their true worth and weighed them accordingly.

• The Spirit of Man : And now I call your attention to the last witness: The man of tomorrow. If there is no tomorrow, and no men of tomorrow, all the yesterdays would have no meaning. All the sacrifice, faith and progress since man first appeared on Earth would go unrewarded and the world of evil, presided over by the Devil himself, will have been victorious. If goodness be its own reward, let there be a tomorrow on the Planet Earth.