Irving Babbitt

Critic

1865-08-02

Quotes by Irving Babbitt

• The ultimate binding element in the medieval order was subordination to the divine will and its earthly representatives, notably the pope.

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• If a man went simply by what he saw, he might be tempted to affirm that the essence of democracy is melodrama.

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• The humanities need to be defended today against the encroachments of physical science, as they once needed to be against the encroachment of theology.

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• The industrial revolution has tended to produce everywhere great urban masses that seem to be increasingly careless of ethical standards.

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• A remarkable feature of the humanitarian movement, on both its sentimental and utilitarian sides, has been its preoccupation with the lot of the masses.

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• It is well to open one's mind but only as a preliminary to closing it ... for the supreme act of judgment and selection.

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