Anti-intellectualism has long been the anti-Semitism of the businessman.
Man generally is entangled in insoluble problems; history is consequently a tragedy in which we are all involved, whose keynote is anxiety and frustration, not progress and fulfilment.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the human condition, suggesting that we often face complex problems that lead to anxiety rather than fulfillment.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. highlights the inherent struggles of humanity, where individuals are caught in dilemmas that seem unsolvable. The quote suggests that instead of witnessing progress and achieving satisfaction, people are more frequently confronted with anxiety and frustration. This perspective offers a somber view of history, portraying it not as a tale of triumph but as a continuous struggle against overwhelming challenges.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a discussion about historical events and their impact on society.
More from Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
All quotes βThere is no more dangerous thing for a democracy than a foreign policy based on presidential preventive war.
Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition and myth frame our response.
The genius of impeachment lay in the fact that it could punish the man without punishing the office.
Clarity in language depends on clarity in thought.
In view of the tide of religiosity engulfing a once secular republic it is refreshing to be reminded by Freethinkers that free thought and skepticism are robustly in the American tradition. After all the Founding Fathers began by omitting God from the American Constitution.
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Given the accelerating velocity of history, we should begin charting deliberately the next phase in its trajectory.
He is a poor patriot whose patriotism does not enable him to understand how all men everywhere feel about their altars and their hearthstones, their flag and their fatherland.
Language is a weapon of politicians, but language is a weapon in much of human affairs.
The need to be right is the sign of a vulgar mind.
If they do kill me, I shall never die another death.
A Christian should always remember that the value of his good works is not based on their number and excellence, but on the love of God which prompts him to do these things.