The forgotten man... He works, he votes, generally he prays, but his chief business in life is to pay.
William Graham SumnerRead
If you allow a political catchword to go on and grow, you will awaken some day to find it standing over you, arbiter of your destiny, against which you are powerless.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote warns against the dangers of blindly following political rhetoric, which can end up controlling our lives.
William Graham Sumner highlights the importance of critical thinking when it comes to political ideologies. He expresses concern that if individuals allow powerful political slogans or ideas to propagate without questioning their implications, they risk losing personal agency and ultimately finding themselves subjugated by those very ideas. The quote serves as a caution to remain vigilant and discerning in the face of persuasive rhetoric.
Themes
PoliticsRhetoricAgencyDestinyThoughtControl
In practice
Example use cases
During a political discussion, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of scrutinizing political messages.
More from William Graham Sumner
All quotes →It is the tendency of the social burdens to crush out the middle class, and to force society into an organization of only two classes, one at each social extreme.
William Graham SumnerRead
We shall find that every effort to realize equality necessitates a sacrifice of liberty.
William Graham SumnerRead
The Forgotten Man is delving away in patient industry, supporting his family, paying his taxes, casting his vote, supporting the church and the school, reading his newspaper, and cheering for the politician of his admiration, but he is the only one for whom there is no provision in the great scramble and the big divide. Such is the Forgotten Man. He works, he votes, generally he prays — but he always pays — yes, above all, he pays.
William Graham SumnerRead
The men who start out with the notion that the world owes them a living generally find that the world pays its 'debt' in the penitentiary or the poor house.
William Graham SumnerRead
We throw all our attention on the utterly idle question whether A has done as well as B, when the only question is whether A has done as well as he could.
William Graham SumnerRead
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