--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: an aristocracy come to power, convinced…" description: "\"“an aristocracy come to power, convinced of its own disinterested quality, believing itself above both petty partisan interest and material greed. The ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/david-halberstam-9032_aristocracy_an-aristocracy-come-to-power-convinced-o_1766434.jpg" --- # an aristocracy come to power, convinced of its own… ![“an aristocracy come to power, convinced of its own disinterested quality, believing itself above both petty partisan interest and material greed. The suggestion that this also meant the holding and wielding of power was judged offensive by these same people, who preferred to view their role as…” quote by David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/david-halberstam-9032_aristocracy_an-aristocracy-come-to-power-convinced-o_1766434.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/david-halberstam-9032_aristocracy_an-aristocracy-come-to-power-convinced-o_1766434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/david-halberstam-9032_aristocracy_an-aristocracy-come-to-power-convinced-o_1766434.jpg) > ““an aristocracy come to power, convinced of its own disinterested quality, believing itself above both petty partisan interest and material greed. The suggestion that this also meant the holding and wielding of power was judged offensive by these same people, who preferred to view their role as service, though in fact this was typical of an era when many of the great rich families withdrew from the new restless grab for money of a modernizing America, and having already made their particular fortunes, turned to the public arena as a means of exercising power. They were viewed as reformers, though the reforms would be aimed more at the newer seekers of wealth than at those who already held it. (“First-generation millionaires,” Garry Wills wrote in Nixon Agonistes, “give us libraries, second-generation millionaires give us themselves.”)”” [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It describes a self‑appointed elite who claim disinterested service while actually preserving their own wealth, using reforms to protect their status. **In simple terms:** Elite claim service but protect their own interests. Key Takeaway Beware of reforms that serve the powerful. Themes elitism reform wealth power history politics Mood skeptical reflective Type historical political When to use this quote - political analysis - historical study - social critique - policy design Key Concepts class public service Questions to Reflect On - Are all wealthy elites inherently self‑serving? - How can reforms be truly democratic? A Different Perspective The view may ignore genuine reformers motivated by public good. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aristocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aristocracy/) [Aristocracy Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aristocracy-come-1739660/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Generation Millionaires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-millionaires-1739662/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [The-wealthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-wealthy-189308/) [Viewed Reformers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewed-reformers-1739661/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [Wealth Held](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth-held-1547944/) ## Related quotes > [“It was against this backdrop that the great fortunes were made, fortunes which allowed the first families to dominate the society of that era.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/it-was-against-this-backdrop-that-the-great-fortunes-were-made/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“I remember clearly the deaths of three men. One was the richest man of the century, who, having clawed his way to wealth through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-remember-clearly-the-deaths-of-three-men-one-was-the-richest-man-of/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [In this world of ours, a world of powerful centers and subjugated outposts, there is no wealth that must not be held in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/in-this-world-of-ours-a-world-of-powerful-centers-and-subjugated/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [The lower half of households by wealth held just 3% of wealth in 1989 and only 1% in 2013.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/the-lower-half-of-households-by-wealth-held-just-3-of-wealth-in-1989/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [“Shortly before the outbreak of the Great War it was calculated that four per cent of the population of England held ninety per cent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-casper-husslein/shortly-before-the-outbreak-of-the-great-war-it-was-calculated-that/) [Joseph Casper Husslein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-casper-husslein/) > [You can read 10,000 quips and quotes and pearly notes but the best wealth to find is held within your own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/you-can-read-10-000-quips-and-quotes-and-pearly-notes-but-the-best/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [The wealth gathered by Jamsetji Tata and his sons in half a century of industrial pioneering formed but a minute fraction of the amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-d-tata/the-wealth-gathered-by-jamsetji-tata-and-his-sons-in-half-a-century/) [J. R. D. Tata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-d-tata/) > [The share of wealth held by the minority is much greater than the share held by the majority. We have to draw our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/the-share-of-wealth-held-by-the-minority-is-much-greater-than-the/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [“I believe in aristocracy, though -- if that is the right word, and if a democrat may use it. Not an aristocracy of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-if-that-is-the-right-word-and-if-a/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [A strong saying is not afraid of criticism, because it includes all the answers to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-strong-saying-is-not-afraid-of-criticism-because-it-includes-all/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Your best friends are your principles, if you havent them, dont look for another friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/your-best-friends-are-your-principles-if-you-havent-them-dont-look/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) ## More by David Halberstam > [ “Theodore Sorensen wrote for \[Robert Kennedy's 1968\] announcement speech: “At stake is not simply the leadership of our party, and even our own country,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/theodore-sorensen-wrote-for-robert-kennedy-s-1968-announcement-speech/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“For there was no doubt in Bundy’s mind about his ability to handle... the world. The job was not just a happenstance thing; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/for-there-was-no-doubt-in-bundy-s-mind-about-his-ability-to-handle/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [Fear was the terrible secret of the battlefield and could afflict the brave as well as the timid. Worse it was contagious, and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/fear-was-the-terrible-secret-of-the-battlefield-and-could-afflict-the/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“Fresh from the rarefied environments of Harvard, the author says he purposefully took journalism jobs in small southern towns so that he could learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/fresh-from-the-rarefied-environments-of-harvard-the-author-says-he/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“Because history became his (Keenan's) genuine passion, he tended to see the world in terms of deep historical forces that, in his mind, formed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/because-history-became-his-keenan-s-genuine-passion-he-tended-to-see/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [Being a professional means doing your job on the days you don't want to do it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/being-a-professional-means-doing-your-job-on-the-days-you-don-t-want/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“Most journalists are impatient to get their legwork done and to start the actual writing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/most-journalists-are-impatient-to-get-their-legwork-done-and-to-start/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“Day after day we read about them, each new man more brilliant than the last. They were not just an all-star first team, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/day-after-day-we-read-about-them-each-new-man-more-brilliant-than-the/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [If there is anything that is important to America, it is that you are not a prisoner of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/if-there-is-anything-that-is-important-to-america-it-is-that-you-are/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [During their college years the oarsmen put in terrbily long hours, often showing up at the boathouse at 6:00am for preclass practices. Both physically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/during-their-college-years-the-oarsmen-put-in-terrbily-long-hours/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“The good reporters of that era, those who were well educated and who were enlightened themselves and worked for enlightened organizations, liked the Kennedys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/the-good-reporters-of-that-era-those-who-were-well-educated-and-who/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“true wisdom ... is the product of hard-won, often bitter experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/true-wisdom-is-the-product-of-hard-won-often-bitter-experience/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [Memory is often less about the truth than about what we want it to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/memory-is-often-less-about-the-truth-than-about-what-we-want-it-to-be/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“There is no small irony here: An administration which flaunted its intellectual superiority and its superior academic credentials made the most critical of decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/there-is-no-small-irony-here-an-administration-which-flaunted-its/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [If youre a reporter, the easiest thing in the world is to get a story. The hardest thing is to verify. The old sins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/if-youre-a-reporter-the-easiest-thing-in-the-world-is-to-get-a-story/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) [Explore all 75 David Halberstam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) ## More Aristocracy quotes > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Your best friends are your principles, if you havent them, dont look for another friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/your-best-friends-are-your-principles-if-you-havent-them-dont-look/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A strong saying is not afraid of criticism, because it includes all the answers to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-strong-saying-is-not-afraid-of-criticism-because-it-includes-all/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“I believe in aristocracy, though -- if that is the right word, and if a democrat may use it. Not an aristocracy of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-if-that-is-the-right-word-and-if-a/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [24.9 percent of American children live in poverty, while the proportions in Germany, France and Italy are 8.6, 7.4 and 10.5 percent. And once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hutton/24-9-percent-of-american-children-live-in-poverty-while-the/) [Will Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hutton/) > [Tomorrow every Duchess in London will be waiting to kiss me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsay-macdonald/tomorrow-every-duchess-in-london-will-be-waiting-to-kiss-me/) [Ramsay MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsay-macdonald/) > [“Why do these big old country houses always have family portraits in the dining room? Do you really want to eat with someone's gloomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/why-do-these-big-old-country-houses-always-have-family-portraits-in/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [“I believe in aristocracy, though—if that is the right word, and if a democrat may use it. Not an aristocracy of power … but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-n-aron/i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-if-that-is-the-right-word-and-if-a-2/) [Elaine N. Aron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-n-aron/) > [Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. 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The worries of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/common-sense-in-so-far-as-it-exists-is-all-for-the-bourgeoisie/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) [Browse all 426 Aristocracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aristocracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“an aristocracy come to power, convinced of its own disinterested quality, believing itself above both petty partisan interest and material greed. The suggestion that this also meant the holding and wielding of power was judged offensive by these same people, who preferred to view their role as service, though in fact this was typical of an era when many of the great rich families withdrew from the new restless grab for money of a modernizing America, and having already made their particular fortunes, turned to the public arena as a means of exercising power. 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