Men are but children of a larger growth, Our appetites as apt to change as theirs, And full as craving too, and full as vain.
John DrydenRead
If by the people you understand the multitude, the hoi polloi, 'tis no matter what they think; they are sometimes in the right, sometimes in the wrong; their judgment is a mere lottery.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The collective opinion of the masses can be unreliable and inconsistent.
In this quote, John Dryden suggests that public opinion, represented by the ‘hoi polloi’ or the common people, can often be erratic and unpredictable. While the masses may sometimes hold a valid opinion, their judgment is essentially random, and one should not overly concern themselves with the fluctuating judgments of the multitude, as it lacks true reliability.
Themes
Public OpinionJudgmentMassesHoi PolloiReliability
In practice
Example use cases
This could be a valuable quote to use in a discussion about democracy and the effectiveness of public opinion.
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