Sentence of the Day

From Edward St. Aubyn Some Hope (A Trilogy):

I could really pick almost any sentence from any of the three books. But here's one (from the third book).

p. 288-289, Patrick Melrose is speaking to Johnny Hall.
"...I don't suppose that forgiveness was uppermost in the minds of people who were being nailed to a cross until Jesus, if not the first man  with a Christ complex still the most successful, wafted onto the scene. Presumably those who enjoyed inflicting cruelty could hardly believe their luck and set about popularizing the superstition that their victims could only achieve peace of mind by forgiving them."
" You don't think it might be a profound spiritual truth?" asked Johnny?
Patrick puffed out his cheeks. "I suppose it might be, but as far as I'm concerned, what is meant to show the spiritual advantages of forgiveness in fact shows the psychological advantages of thinking you're the son of God."