Do you believe," said Candide, "that men have always slaughtered each other as they do today, that they've always been liars, cheats, traitors, ingrates and thieves, weak, fickle, cowardly, envious, greedy, drunken, miserly, ambitious, bloodthirsty, slanderous, lecherous, fanatical, hypocritical and foolish?" "Do you believe," said Martin, "that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they find them?" "Yes, of course," said Candide. "Well, then," said Martin, "if hawks have always had the same character, what makes you think men have changed theirs?