It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
E. B. WhiteRead
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Democracy often involves doubt about the majority's correctness, yet itβs a system that values collective decision-making.
E.B. White's quote captures the essence of democracy, which is grounded in the idea that while individual opinions may vary, the collective judgment of the majority is essential in a democratic society. It reflects a healthy skepticism about the wisdom of the majority, acknowledging that their decisions might not always be right but are nevertheless a central component of the democratic process.
Themes
DemocracyMajoritySuspicionCollectiveDecision-Making
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a political campaign to highlight the importance of questioning majority opinions.
More from E. B. White
All quotes βIt isn't silence you can cut with a knife any more, it's interchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion of practically everything is what is breaking up modern marriage.
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The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
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A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.
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A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom- he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.
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All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
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