Great saying by great authors Quote by Clifton Fadiman
“An ideologue may be defined as a mad intellectual. He is not interested in ideas, butalmost the exact contraryin one idea. When he erects this idea into a system and forces the system to give birth to a way of life, confusion often results, usually to his great surprise. Two examples are Robespierre and Lenin. The intellectual is occasionally blamed for the work of the ideologue, which is like condemning the psychiatrist because he and the patient areboth involved in the same thing, mental illness. The ideologue is often brilliant. Consequently some of us distrust brilliance when we should distrust the ideologue… The ideologue is often more persuasive than the intellectual because he hasa simpler line of goods to sell and never questions its value. Sometimes he achieves great success by attacking the real intellectualBryan is a good example.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The New Yorker Essays, 1970
An ideologue obsessively clings to a single idea, turning it into a rigid system that can cause confusion and unintended consequences.
In simple terms: Ideologues fixate on one idea, creating rigid systems that may backfire.
Key Takeaway
Question the rigidity of single‑idea systems.
Themes
politics
psychology
philosophy
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political movements
- organizational leadership
- public policy
- education reform
Key Concepts
Ideology
cognitive bias
authoritarianism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does single‑idea thinking limit problem solving?
- When might a unified vision be beneficial?
A Different Perspective
Ideologues can oversimplify complex issues, ignoring nuance.
![“[Books] will visit you at your convenience, whether you are lonesome or not, on rainy days or fair. They propose themselves as either transient acquaintances or permanent friends. They will stay as long as you like, departing or returning as you wish. Their friendship entails no obligation. Best…” quote by Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/08b/clifton-fadiman-11053_acquaintance_books-will-visit-you-at-your-convenience_75546.jpg)
![“Seriously, I do not know what to say of this book [ Absalom, Absalom!] except that it seem to point to the final blowup of what was once a remarkable, if minor, talent… this is a penny dreadful tricked up in fancy language and given a specious depth by the expert manipulation of a series of…” quote by Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cc1/clifton-fadiman-11053_book_seriously-i-do-not-know-what-to-say-of-t_494033.jpg)
