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    It is only because the majority opinion will always be opposed by some that our knowledge and understanding progress. In the process by which opinion is formed, it is very probable that, by the time any view becomes a majority view, it is no longer the best view: somebody will already have advanced beyond the point which the majority have reached. It is because we do not yet which of the many competing new opinions will prove itself the best that we wait until it has gained sufficient support.

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  10  /  16  

In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves:
the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of read more

In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves:
the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy.

by Ivan Illich Found in: Society Quotes,
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  8  /  19  

The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children's games from the beginning, read more

The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children's games from the beginning, and will probably do it till the end, which is a nuisance for the few people who grow up. And one of the games to which it is most attached is called, ''Keep tomorrow dark,'' and which is also named (by the rustics in Shropshire, I have no doubt) ''Cheat the Prophet.'' The players listen very carefully and respectfully to all that the clever men have to say about what is to happen in the next generation. The players then wait until all the clever men are dead, and bury them nicely. Then they go and do something else. That is all. For a race of simple tastes, however, it is great fun.

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  23  /  16  

Mathematics is as little a science as grammar is a language.

Mathematics is as little a science as grammar is a language.

by Ernst Mayr Found in: Society Quotes,
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  7  /  13  

What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?

What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?

by Henry David Thoreau Found in: Society Quotes,
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  7  /  14  

Life is simply the reification of the process of living.

Life is simply the reification of the process of living.

by Ernst Mayr Found in: Society Quotes,
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  14  /  18  

Stupidity is the devil. Look in the eye of a chicken and you'll know. It's the most horrifying, cannibalistic, and read more

Stupidity is the devil. Look in the eye of a chicken and you'll know. It's the most horrifying, cannibalistic, and nightmarish creature in this world.

by Werner Herzog Found in: Society Quotes,
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  9  /  15  

When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous read more

When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.

by Eric Hoffer Found in: Society Quotes,
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  12  /  12  

Society is a masked ball, where every one hides his real character, and reveals it by hiding

Society is a masked ball, where every one hides his real character, and reveals it by hiding

by Ralph Waldo Emerson Found in: Society Quotes,
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  8  /  13  

It is common to assume that human progress affects everyone- that even the dullest man, in these bright days, knows read more

It is common to assume that human progress affects everyone- that even the dullest man, in these bright days, knows more than any man of, say, the Eighteenth Century, and is far more civilized. This assumption is quite erroneous...The great masses of men, even in this inspired republic, are precisely where the mob was at the dawn of history. They are ignorant, they are dishonest, they are cowardly, they are ignoble. They know little if anything that is worth knowing, and there is not the slightest sign of a natural desire among them to increase their knowledge.

by H. L. Mencken Found in: Society Quotes,
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