The forgotten man... He works, he votes, generally he prays, but his chief business in life is to pay.
William Graham SumnerRead
We shall find that every effort to realize equality necessitates a sacrifice of liberty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True equality may require individuals to give up some personal freedoms.
This quote reflects the inherent tension between the ideals of equality and liberty. It suggests that in the pursuit of equality, certain freedoms and liberties may need to be curtailed, as achieving a truly equal society often demands compromises that may inhibit individual rights and freedoms. This highlights the complexity of social structures and the difficult decisions that must be made in governance and ethics.
Themes
EqualityLibertySacrificeFreedomPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about social policies aimed at creating more equal opportunities, this quote can underline the potential limitations on personal freedom involved.
More from William Graham Sumner
All quotes βIt is the tendency of the social burdens to crush out the middle class, and to force society into an organization of only two classes, one at each social extreme.
William Graham SumnerRead
The Forgotten Man is delving away in patient industry, supporting his family, paying his taxes, casting his vote, supporting the church and the school, reading his newspaper, and cheering for the politician of his admiration, but he is the only one for whom there is no provision in the great scramble and the big divide. Such is the Forgotten Man. He works, he votes, generally he prays β but he always pays β yes, above all, he pays.
William Graham SumnerRead
The men who start out with the notion that the world owes them a living generally find that the world pays its 'debt' in the penitentiary or the poor house.
William Graham SumnerRead
We throw all our attention on the utterly idle question whether A has done as well as B, when the only question is whether A has done as well as he could.
William Graham SumnerRead
Civil liberty is the status of the man who is guaranteed by law and civil institutions the exclusive employment of all his own powers for his own welfare.
William Graham SumnerRead
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