Irving Babbitt Quotes

Irving Babbitt

American Critic

Born: Aug 2, 1865

Died: Jul 15, 1933

Also Democracy Faith Great Man Will

Related authors: George Steiner Henry Louis Gates James Wolcott Kimberly Guilfoyle Margaret Fuller Pauline Kael Roger Ebert bell hooks

According to the new ethics, virtue is not restrictive but expansive, a sentiment and even an intoxication. Irving Babbitt

Ethics Sentiment Virtue Intoxication Restrictive New According Expansive Even

The democratic idealist is prone to make light of the whole question of standards and leadership because of his unbounded faith in the plain people. Irving Babbitt

Faith Leadership People Light Prone Unbounded Idealist Democratic Make Because His Question Plain Plain People Standards Whole

For behind all imperialism is ultimately the imperialistic individual, just as behind all peace is ultimately the peaceful individual. Irving Babbitt

Peace Individual Imperialism Imperialistic Ultimately Behind Just Peaceful

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. Irving Babbitt

Future Faith Great Progress Cause Sympathy His Person May Mankind Should Who Serve Lump Humanist Humanitarian Creed Desire

The true humanist maintains a just balance between sympathy and selection. Irving Babbitt

Balance Sympathy Selection True Between Just Humanist

The humanitarian lays stress almost solely upon breadth of knowledge and sympathy. Irving Babbitt

Knowledge Stress Sympathy Solely Lays Almost Breadth Humanitarian

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. Irving Babbitt

Happiness Needs Walk Path Will Own Humility On The Contrary Tell Indifferent He Self-Control Him His Contrary Interest Resentful Even Actively

Very few of the early Italian humanists were really humane. Irving Babbitt

Few Humane Were Italian Very Really Early

We may affirm, then, that the main drift of the later Renaissance was away from a humanism that favored a free expansion toward a humanism that was in the highest degree disciplinary and selective. Irving Babbitt

Degree Free Later Favored Drift Selective Main Highest Highest Degree Toward Renaissance Disciplinary Affirm Expansion May Then Away Humanism

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

Great Humane Must Leaders Like Also However Revolt Get Convention Romantic Aspiration Rid Who Eagerness Disregarded

If quantitatively the American achievement is impressive, qualitatively it is somewhat less satisfying. Irving Babbitt

Achievement Somewhat Impressive American Less Satisfying

Furthermore, America suffers not only from a lack of standards, but also not infrequently from a confusion or an inversion of standards. Irving Babbitt

Confusion Furthermore Only Inversion Also America Lack Standards Suffers

To say that most of us today are purely expansive is only another way of saying that most of us continue to be more concerned with the quantity than with the quality of our democracy. Irving Babbitt

Today Saying Democracy Quality Our Way Say Purely More Only Most Concerned Another Quantity Another Way Continue Expansive Than Us

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