It is well to open one's mind but only as a preliminary to closing it ... for the supreme act of judgment and selection. Irving Babbitt More Quotes by Irving Babbitt More Quotes From Irving Babbitt Anyone who thus looks up has some chance of becoming worthy to be looked up to in turn. Irving Babbitt becoming chance looks 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 suffering america Commercialism is laying its great greasy paw upon everything including the irresponsible quest of thrills; so that, whatever democracy may be theoretically, one is sometimes tempted to define it practically as standardized and commercialized melodrama. Irving Babbitt quests democracy may For behind all imperialism is ultimately the imperialistic individual, just as behind all peace is ultimately the peaceful individual. Irving Babbitt imperialism love peace A remarkable feature of the humanitarian movement, on both its sentimental and utilitarian sides, has been its preoccupation with the lot of the masses. Irving Babbitt sentimental movement sides 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 progress humanity desire 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. Irving Babbitt standards-set self men 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 quality democracy today The humanitarian would, of course, have us meddle in foreign affairs as part of his program of world service. Irving Babbitt humanitarian affair world 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. Irving Babbitt kind-man military men The ultimate binding element in the medieval order was subordination to the divine will and its earthly representatives, notably the pope. Irving Babbitt divine-will elements order 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. Irving Babbitt sunday reading perfect A democracy, the realistic observer is forced to conclude, is likely to be idealistic in its feelings about itself, but imperialistic about its practice. Irving Babbitt democracy practice feelings 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 standards light people The humanities need to be defended today against the encroachments of physical science, as they once needed to be against the encroachment of theology. Irving Babbitt humanity today needs According to the new ethics, virtue is not restrictive but expansive, a sentiment and even an intoxication. Irving Babbitt sentimental ethics virtue Since every man desires happiness, it is evidently no small matter whether he conceives of happiness in terms of work or of enjoyment. Irving Babbitt matter desire men 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 conventions romantic-love leader The papacy again, representing the traditional unity of European civilization, has also shown itself unable to limit effectively the push of nationalism. Irving Babbitt unity europe civilization Very few of the early Italian humanists were really humane. Irving Babbitt humane italian
