At any given moment, public opinion is a chaos of superstition, misinformation, and prejudice.
Interpretation
Public opinion is often not based on facts, but rather on false beliefs and biases.
Gore Vidal's quote highlights the complex and often disorderly nature of public opinion, suggesting that it is shaped less by truth and more by a confusing mix of superstitions, incorrect information, and deep-seated prejudices. This serves as a caution not to rely solely on popular consensus, as it can be misleading and not representative of reality.
In practice
During a debate about social media's impact on society, one could use this quote to emphasize the misleading nature of online narratives.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
There is something precious in our being mysteries to ourselves, in our being unable ever to see through even the person who is closest to our heart and to reckon with him as though he were a logical proposition or a problem in accounting.
I know that a man who shows me his wealth is like the beggar who shows me his poverty; they are both looking for alms from me, the rich man for the alms of my envy, the poor man for the alms of my guilt.
Searching for precious goods leads astray.
It is in the union of the Ascending and the Descending currents that harmony is found, and not in any war between the two. It seems that only when the Ascending and the Descending are united can both be saved. And if we - if you and I - do not contribute to this union, then it is very possible that not only will we destroy the only Earth we have, we will forfeit the only heaven we might otherwise embrace.
There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
The will of God is always a bigger thing than we bargain for.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.