Irving Babbitt

“If a man went simply by what he saw, he might be tempted to affirm that the essence of democracy is melodrama.”

“The human mind, if it is to keep its sanity, must maintain the nicest balance between unity and plurality.”

“A remarkable feature of the humanitarian movement, on both its sentimental and utilitarian sides, has been its preoccupation with the lot of the masses.”

“Tell him, on the contrary, that he needs, in the interest of his own happiness, to walk in the path of humility and self-control, and he will be indifferent, or even actively resentful.”