Aldous Huxley Quote - The greater part of the population is not very intelligent, dreads responsibility, and desires nothing better than to be told what to do. Provided the rulers do not interfere with its material comforts and its cherished beliefs, it is perfectly happy to let itself be ruled.

Authority Quotes

The greater part of the population is not very intelligent, dreads responsibility, and desires nothing better than to be told what to do. Provided the rulers do not interfere with its material comforts and its cherished beliefs, it is perfectly happy to let itself be ruled.

"The greater part of the population is not very intelligent, dreads responsibility, and desires nothing better than to be told what to do. Provided the rulers do not interfere with its material comforts and its cherished beliefs, it is perfectly happy to let itself be ruled."

— Aldous Huxley

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Author: Aldous Huxley
Category: Authority
Tags: Authority Comfort Conformity Critical Responsibility

Meaning of this quote

The passage describes how rulers can gain acquiescence by protecting comforts and familiar beliefs, using a sweeping judgment about the public.

Key takeaway: Evaluate political participation without accepting a contemptuous generalization about people.

Origin of the quote

Published prose: Proper Studies.

Who actually said this?

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Matched in the consulted primary text; punctuation, capitalization and typographic styling are not treated as wording changes.

Attributed author: Aldous Huxley

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