American - Critic | August 2, 1865 - July 15, 1933
We must not, however, be like the leaders of the great romantic revolt who, in their eagerness to get rid of the husk of convention, disregarded also the humane aspiration.
Irving Babbitt
GreatRomanticMustGetAspiration
To harmonize the One with the Many, this is indeed a difficult adjustment, perhaps the most difficult of all, and so important, withal, that nations have perished from their failure to achieve it.
FailureAchieveImportantDifficult
The human mind, if it is to keep its sanity, must maintain the nicest balance between unity and plurality.
BalanceMindUnityHumanHuman Mind
The papacy again, representing the traditional unity of European civilization, has also shown itself unable to limit effectively the push of nationalism.
UnityPushNationalismCivilization
The ultimate binding element in the medieval order was subordination to the divine will and its earthly representatives, notably the pope.
WillOrderDivineMedievalPope
Inasmuch as society cannot go on without discipline of some kind, men were constrained, in the absence of any other form of discipline, to turn to discipline of the military type.
DisciplineMenSocietyGoKindTurn
A remarkable feature of the humanitarian movement, on both its sentimental and utilitarian sides, has been its preoccupation with the lot of the masses.
SidesMovementSentimentalBeenBoth
For behind all imperialism is ultimately the imperialistic individual, just as behind all peace is ultimately the peaceful individual.
PeacePeacefulImperialismIndividual
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.
HappinessPathWalkHumilityWill
Perhaps as good a classification as any of the main types is that of the three lusts distinguished by traditional Christianity - the lust of knowledge, the lust of sensation, and the lust of power.
GoodKnowledgePowerLustThree
If quantitatively the American achievement is impressive, qualitatively it is somewhat less satisfying.
AchievementAmericanImpressiveLess
Furthermore, America suffers not only from a lack of standards, but also not infrequently from a confusion or an inversion of standards.
AmericaConfusionStandardsOnly
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Irving Babbitt quotes