Quotes About Society

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded—here and there, now and then—are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.

Customs, morals--is there a difference?

Politics is not evil; politics is the human race's most magnificent achievement.

Being "up to something" was the unnamable and unforgiveable crime for which any American male could be indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced in one breath. He wondered how things had gotten rigged so that the male half of the race must always behave to suit feminine rules and feminine logic, like a snotty-nosed school boy in front of a stern teacher.

was no such thing as a "dangerous weapon," there were only dangerous men.

conserving capital and insuring the welfare of children—the two basic societal functions for marriage everywhere

I'm not suggesting anything. People get hurt every day. This matter must be cleared up, Joseph, for everybody. The greatest good of the greatest number, as you are so fond of quoting.

Nevertheless, her own political philosophy could have been stated baldly (which it never was) as a belief that men should rule the world and women should rule men.

Everything and anything about a culture can be inferred from the shape of its language—and

Demokrasi en iyi niyetli yakla??mla bile zavall? bir sistemdir; onunla ilgili söylenebilecek tek iyi ÅŸey, insan ?rk?n?n denemiÅŸ olduÄŸu diÄŸer sistemlerden yakla??k sekiz kat daha iyi olmas?d?r. Demokrasinin en büyük kusuru, liderlerinin oy ald?klar? seçmenlerin erdemlerini de kusurlar?n? da ta??malar?d?r; moral bozucu derecede düÅŸük bir düzey ama baÅŸka ne bekleyebilirsin?

I see your point. It irks you to see anyone at all who is able to work permitted to live without working. But why do you consider work a virtue?

Democracy is a poor system of government at best; the only thing that can honestly be said in its favor is that it is about eight times as good as any other method the human race has ever tried.

Television leaves no external scars.

Every citizen is free to perform any act which does not hamper the equal freedom of another. No law shall forbid the performance of any act, which does not damage the physical or economic welfare of any other person.

In a mature society, "civil servant" is semantically equal to "civil master.

Sick cultures show a complex of symptoms such as you have named…but a dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.

As for the second notion, the idea that we could lose our freedom by succumbing to a wave of religious hysteria, I am sorry to say that I consider it possible. I hope that it is not probable. But there is a latent deep strain of religious fanaticism in this our culture; it is rooted in our history

sometimes I think that government is an inescapable disease of human beings. But it may be possible to keep it small and starved and inoffensive

A rational anarchist believes that concepts such as 'state' and 'society' and 'government' have no existence save as physically exemplified in the acts of self-responsible individuals.

Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it's partly her fault.

no better way to improve breed. Certain types of loudmouthism should be a capital offense among decent people.

Must be a yearning deep in human heart to stop other people from doing as they please. Rules, laws—always for other fellow. A murky part of us, something we had before we came down out of trees, and failed to shuck when we stood up.

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded—here and there, now and then—are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as "bad luck.

women should be obscene but not heard.