Irving Babbitt quotes
A democracy, the realistic observer is forced to conclude, is likely to be idealistic in its feelings about itself, but imperialistic about its practice.
A gross and palpable error of the era that is just closing has been the confusion of mechanical and material progress with moral progress.
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.
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.
A remarkable feature of the humanitarian movement, on both its sentimental and utilitarian sides, has been its preoccupation with the lot of the masses.
According to the new ethics, virtue is not restrictive but expansive, a sentiment and even an intoxication.
Act strenuously, would appear to be our faith, and right thinking will take care of itself.
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.
Anyone who rejects the humanitarian theory of brotherhood runs the risk of being accused of a lack of fraternal feeling.
Anyone who thus looks up has some chance of becoming worthy to be looked up to in turn.
Cosmopolitan breadth of knowledge and sympathy do not by themselves suffice; to be humanized these qualities need to be tempered by discipline and selection.
Democracy is now going forth on a crusade against imperialism.
For behind all imperialism is ultimately the imperialistic individual, just as behind all peace is ultimately the peaceful individual.
For most practical purposes, the law of measure is the supreme law of life, because it bounds and includes all other laws.
Furthermore, America suffers not only from a lack of standards, but also not infrequently from a confusion or an inversion of standards.
Subscribe via RSS
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Facebook
