The most important lesson in the writing trade is that any manuscript is improved if you cut away the fat.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
Democracy is based on the assumption that a million men are wiser than one man. How's that again? I missed something.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the belief in collective wisdom over individual wisdom.
Robert A. Heinlein's quote emphasizes the foundational premise of democracy that collective decision-making, derived from the perspectives and experiences of many individuals, is inherently wiser than that of a single person. It suggests a skepticism about the assumption that a large group of people, because of their diverse viewpoints and knowledge, can arrive at better decisions than an individual, questioning both the validity and the practical implementation of democratic principles.
Themes
DemocracyWisdomCollectiveDecisionsIndividual
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate on governance, one might use this quote to support the value of public input.
More from Robert A. Heinlein
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Democracy is a poor system of government at best; the only thing that can honestly be said in its favor is that it is eight times as good as any other method the human race has ever tried.
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Long human words (the longer the better) were easy, unmistakable, and rarely changed their meanings . . . but short words were slippery, unpredictable, changing their meanings without any pattern.
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Progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things.
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When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere.
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