Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no need of change.
The greatest task of democracy, its ritual and feast - is choice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The essence of democracy lies in the ability to make choices. It highlights the importance of choice as a fundamental aspect of democratic life.
H.G. Wells emphasizes that at the heart of democracy is the act of making choices. He describes this choice not just as a task but as a celebration, pointing to the idea that democracy is enriched by the diversity of options available to its citizens. The quote suggests that the opportunities to choose are what make democracy both a serious responsibility and a joyous occasion.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a political speech about the importance of civic engagement, one might say, 'As H.G. Wells stated, the greatest task of democracy is choice.'
More from H. G. Wells
All quotes →He spares no resource in telling of his dead inventions... Bare verbs he rarely tolerates. He splits infinitives and fills them up with adverbial stuffing. He presses the passing colloquialism into his service. His vast paragraphis sweat and struggle; the
It [a new world order] needs only that the governments of Britain, the United States, France, Germany, and Russia should get together in order to set up an effective control of currency, credit, production, and distribution – that is to say, an effective ‘dictatorship of prosperity,’ for the whole world. The other sixty odd States would have to join in or accommodate themselves to the over-ruling decisions of these major Powers.
Things that would have made fame of a less clever man seemed tricks in his hands. It is a mistake to do things too easily.
But I was too restless to watch long; I'm too Occidental for a long vigil. I could work at a problem for years, but to wait inactive for twenty-four hours - that's another matter.
I came out for exercise, gentle exercise, and to notice the scenery and to botanise. And no sooner do I get on that accursed machine than off I go hammer and tongs; I never look to right or left, never notice a flower, never see a view - get hot, juicy, red - like a grilled chop. Get me on that machine and I have to go. I go scorching along the road, and cursing aloud at myself for doing it.
Similar quotes
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Where misunderstanding serves others as an advantage, one is helpless to make oneself understood.
Remember, it is not your weakness that will get in the way of God's working through you, but your delusions of strength. His strength is made perfect in our weakness! Point to His strength by being willing to admit your weakness.
If I define my neighbor as the one I must go out to look for, on the highways and byways, in the factories and slums, on the farms and in the mines, then my world changes.
Sure I believe in God and the Devil, but they don't have to have pitchforks and a long white beard.
He learned that when people are very poor they still have something to give and the impulse to give it.