Belief like any other moving body follows the path of least resistance.
Samuel ButlerRead
Academic and aristocratic people live in such an uncommon atmosphere that common sense can rarely reach them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that highly educated individuals often become disconnected from practical and common perspectives.
Samuel Butler's quote highlights the notion that those immersed in academia and high society may become so entrenched in their elite environments that they overlook basic, common-sense reasoning. This reflection on the intellectual isolation experienced by the educated elite emphasizes the potential gap between theoretical knowledge and everyday practical wisdom, suggesting that excessive focus on specialized knowledge can hinder one's understanding of simpler truths.
Themes
Common SenseEducationAristocracyIntellectualismWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of practical skills in education.
More from Samuel Butler
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An apology for the devil: it must be remembered that we have heard one side of the case. God has written all the books.
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Young people have a marvelous faculty of either dying or adapting themselves to circumstances.
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People care more about being thought to have taste than about being thought either good, clever or amiable.
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A friend who cannot at a pinch remember a thing or two that never happened is as bad as one who does not know how to forget.
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