A democracy, the realistic observer is forced to conclude, is likely to be idealistic in its feelings about itself, but imperialistic about its practice.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about feelings, democracy
Quotes by Irving Babbitt
42 quotes by Irving Babbitt
Irving Babbitt, American Critic
Was born on 02 aug 1865. Died on 15 jul 1933, at 67 years old.
Origin country: United States
A gross and palpable error of the era that is just closing has been the confusion of mechanical and material progress with moral progress.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about progress, confusion, error, moral
A man needs to look, not down, but up to standards set so much above his ordinary self as to make him feel that he is himself spiritually the underdog.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about self-control, man
A person who has sympathy for mankind in the lump, faith in its future progress, and desire to serve the great cause of this progress, should be called not a humanist, but a humanitarian, and his creed may be designated as humanitarianism.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about progress, faith, future, people
According to the new ethics, virtue is not restrictive but expansive, a sentiment and even an intoxication.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about virtue
Act strenuously, would appear to be our faith, and right thinking will take care of itself.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about faith, thinking, rightness
An American of the present day reading his Sunday newspaper in a state of lazy collapse is one of the most perfect symbols of the triumph of quantity over quality that the world has yet seen.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about quality, present, americans, state, day, world
Anyone who rejects the humanitarian theory of brotherhood runs the risk of being accused of a lack of fraternal feeling.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about brotherhood, risk, being
Anyone who thus looks up has some chance of becoming worthy to be looked up to in turn.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about chance
Democracy is now going forth on a crusade against imperialism.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about democracy
For behind all imperialism is ultimately the imperialistic individual, just as behind all peace is ultimately the peaceful individual.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about peace
For most practical purposes, the law of measure is the supreme law of life, because it bounds and includes all other laws.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about law, measure, life
Furthermore, America suffers not only from a lack of standards, but also not infrequently from a confusion or an inversion of standards.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about confusion
If a man went simply by what he saw, he might be tempted to affirm that the essence of democracy is melodrama.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about democracy, man
If quantitatively the American achievement is impressive, qualitatively it is somewhat less satisfying.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about americans
If we are to have such a discipline we must have standards, and to get our standards under existing conditions we must have criticism.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about criticism
One of our federal judges said, not long ago, that what the American people need is ten per cent of thought and ninety per cent of action.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about judges, action, americans, thinking, need, people
One should, therefore, in the interests of democracy itself seek to substitute the doctrine of the right man for the doctrine of the rights of man.
Quote by Irving Babbitt about democracy, man, rightness
