It claimed that Buddhism was a debased form of Daoism, designed by Laozi as a curb on the violent natures and vicious habits of the "western barbarians," and as such was entirely unsuitable for Chinese consumption.
It armed him against the shock of finding, along his circuit ride, little country towns with "at least a dozen taverns" where, as he wrote in his diary, "diseases, vicious habits, bastards and legislators are frequently begotten".
His job was to go into a neighborhood that had a street gang known for particularly vicious habits, try to win the confidence of its members, and then, if possible, guide them in the direction of healthier pursuits.
Clarke is very confident in the prospects of general revelation; that is, he thinks that human reason (if it is not corrupted by vicious habits) is capable of discovering the existence of God as well as the attributes of God from the evidence of nature and the capacity of reason.
Imam al-Ghazali says of the Sufis: "The aim of their knowledge is to lop off the obstacles present in the soul and to rid oneself of its reprehensible habits and vicious qualities in order to attain thereby a heart empty of all save God and adorned with the constant remembrance of God".
These are the kind of shoes that you could imagine wearing in a movie like Casino, without coming off as a sleazy bitch with a vicious coke habit.
We overeat, we diet, we overeat some more — and Nestlé is apparently betting that even the French will succumb to that same vicious cycle, needing American remedies for American habits.
He even speculated that God might intend for America to be defeated so that its "vicious and luxurious and effeminate appetites, passion and habits" would be cleansed, laying the foundation for a more-deserved victory in the future.
(Individual interviews, village, 23 years old, musician) With regard to expressions like we men are more vicious, the participants revealed their belief that the use of other recreational drugs is also a habit that is more prevalent among men.
