"I have known more men destroyed by the desire to have wife and child and to keep them in comfort than I have seen destroyed by drink and harlots"

This quote by William Butler Yeats speaks with the power of aspiration and the threats of overreaching. It suggests that the desire to offer a family can be a powerful motivator, however it can also be devastating if taken too far. The quote implies that the pressure to attend to a household can be so great that it can lead to a man's downfall, much more so than the temptations of alcohol and promiscuity. This is a cautionary tale, warning males to be mindful of their aspirations and to not let their desire to attend to their household end up being a fixation. It is a tip that while aspiration is important, it should not be taken to the extreme.