Surely,” he cried, "this is not inevitable. Surely humanity could take the knowledge you offer and use it to ennoble itself. Surely they could apply it wisely and without folly.”
"They could,” Mephistopheles said dryly. "But will they? (Michael Swanwick)

Surely,” he cried, "this is not inevitable. Surely humanity could take the knowledge you offer and use it to ennoble itself. Surely they could apply it wisely and without folly.” "They could,” Mephistopheles said dryly. "But will they?

Michael Swanwick

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