--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is an interesting, though idle…" description: "\"“It is an interesting, though idle, speculation, what would be the effect on us if all our reformers, revolutionaries, planners, politicians, and life-..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9e/h-d-f-kitto-67329_common-good_it-is-an-interesting-though-idle-specula_1280247.jpg" --- # It is an interesting, though idle, speculation, what would… ![“It is an interesting, though idle, speculation, what would be the effect on us if all our reformers, revolutionaries, planners, politicians, and life-arrangers in general were soaked in Homer from their youth up, like the Greeks. They might realize that on the happy day when there is a…” quote by H.D.F. Kitto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9e/h-d-f-kitto-67329_common-good_it-is-an-interesting-though-idle-specula_1280247.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9e/h-d-f-kitto-67329_common-good_it-is-an-interesting-though-idle-specula_1280247.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9e/h-d-f-kitto-67329_common-good_it-is-an-interesting-though-idle-specula_1280247.jpg) > ““It is an interesting, though idle, speculation, what would be the effect on us if all our reformers, revolutionaries, planners, politicians, and life-arrangers in general were soaked in Homer from their youth up, like the Greeks. They might realize that on the happy day when there is a refrigerator in every home, and two in none, when we all have the opportunity of working for the common good (whatever that is), when Common Man (whoever he is) is triumphant, though not improved--that men will still come and go like the generations of leaves in the forest; that he will still be weak, and the gods strong and incalculable; that the quality of a man matters more than his achievement; that violence and recklessness will still lead to disaster, and that this will fall on the innocent as well as on the guilty.”” [H.D.F. Kitto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-f-kitto/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even with ideal conditions, human nature and societal forces remain unchanged, emphasizing timeless struggles. **In simple terms:** Human nature stays constant despite progress. Key Takeaway Focus on character over achievement. Themes human nature society progress philosophy history Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - education reform - policy making - community building - ethical leadership Key Concepts stoicism political theory humanism Questions to Reflect On - What values should guide societal reforms? - How can we balance progress with human frailty? A Different Perspective Idealism may overlook structural constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-good/) [Common man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-man/) [Happy day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-day/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homer/) [Homer Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homer-youth-1463898/) [Like Greeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-greeks-1879203/) ## Related quotes > [YOUTH, n. The Period of Possibility, when Archimedes finds a fulcrum, Cassandra has a following and seven cities compete for the honor of endowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/youth-n-the-period-of-possibility-when-archimedes-finds-a-fulcrum/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [The Ethiop gods have Ethiop lips, Bronze cheeks, and woolly hair; The Grecian gods are like the Greeks, As keen-eyed, cold and fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-ethiop-gods-have-ethiop-lips-bronze-cheeks-and-woolly-hair-the/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but heroes fight like Greeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/hence-we-will-not-say-that-greeks-fight-like-heroes-but-heroes-fight/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Drink, live like the Greeks, eat, gorge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/drink-live-like-the-greeks-eat-gorge/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [“It's a very Greek idea, and a very profound one. Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-s-a-very-greek-idea-and-a-very-profound-one-beauty-is-terror/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [You will find the Americans much like the Greeks found the Romans: great, big, vulgar, bustling people more vigorous than we are and also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-the-greeks-found-the-romans/) [Harold Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [“In the era of angry and aggressive policing, it is an honorable service to your fellow citizens to video record police officers interactions with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/in-the-era-of-angry-and-aggressive-policing-it-is-an-honorable/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Life is glorious when it is happy; days are carefree when they are happy; the interplay of thought and imagination is far superior to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/life-is-glorious-when-it-is-happy-days-are-carefree-when-they-are/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Loving is the most unmitigated and courageous act I perform in a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/loving-is-the-most-unmitigated-and-courageous-act-i-perform-in-a-day/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [I am sure that the sad days and happenings were rare, and that I lived the joyous and careless life of other children; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-loti/i-am-sure-that-the-sad-days-and-happenings-were-rare-and-that-i-lived/) [Pierre Loti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-loti/) > [“But life is glorious when it is happy; days are carefree when they are happy; the interplay of thought and imagination is far superior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/but-life-is-glorious-when-it-is-happy-days-are-carefree-when-they-are/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Up & at 'em! Giving God praise for another day of life. Thankful that He is the force behind my grind & the grind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanina-king/up-at-em-giving-god-praise-for-another-day-of-life-thankful-that-he/) [LaNina King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanina-king/) > [There are some delightful places in this world which have a sensual charm for the eyes. One loves them with a physical love. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/there-are-some-delightful-places-in-this-world-which-have-a-sensual/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [It is not merely the multiplicity of tints, the gladness of tone, or the balminess of the air which delight in the spring; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/it-is-not-merely-the-multiplicity-of-tints-the-gladness-of-tone-or/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Happy Days was a wonderful, wonderful experience and I would not have traded it for the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-ross/happy-days-was-a-wonderful-wonderful-experience-and-i-would-not-have/) [Marion Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-ross/) ## More by H.D.F. Kitto > [“The city-state was the means by which the Greek consciously strove to make the life both of the community and of the individual more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-f-kitto/the-city-state-was-the-means-by-which-the-greek-consciously-strove-to/) [H.D.F. Kitto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-f-kitto/) > [“Typical of the limitations, even the contradictions of life, is the fact that what is most worth having can often only be had at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-f-kitto/typical-of-the-limitations-even-the-contradictions-of-life-is-the/) [H.D.F. Kitto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-f-kitto/) > [“...unless our standards of civilization are comfort and contraptions, Athens from (say) 480 to 380 was clearly the most civilized society that has yet existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-f-kitto/unless-our-standards-of-civilization-are-comfort-and-contraptions/) [H.D.F. Kitto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-f-kitto/) [Explore all 4 H.D.F. Kitto quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-f-kitto/) ## More Common good quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Advocacy groups, politicians, and bureaucrats use the government to advance their private good instead of the common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-miller/advocacy-groups-politicians-and-bureaucrats-use-the-government-to/) [Joel Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-miller/) > [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“Markets do not automatically generate trust, cooperation or collective action for the common good. Quite the contrary: it is in the nature of economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/markets-do-not-automatically-generate-trust-cooperation-or-collective/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [Set goals - high goals for you and your organization. When your organization has a goal to shoot for, you create teamwork, people working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/set-goals-high-goals-for-you-and-your-organization-when-your/) [Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/) > [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. At his first coming, he saved us from the penalty of sin and gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-coming-of-the-messianic-king-occurs-in-two-stages-at-his-first/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [The original Greek word "idiotes" referred to people who might have had a high IQ, but were so self-involved that they focused exclusively on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hightower/the-original-greek-word-idiotes-referred-to-people-who-might-have-had/) [Jim Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hightower/) > [People who reject transcendent authority can no longer persuade one another through rational arguments; everything is reduced to personal opinion. Debates about ideas thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-colson/people-who-reject-transcendent-authority-can-no-longer-persuade-one/) [Charles Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-colson/) > [I am a strong believer in the free market. I am a strong believer in capitalism. But, I am also a strong believer that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-am-a-strong-believer-in-the-free-market-i-am-a-strong-believer-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Leadership: The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward goals identified as being for the common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hunter/leadership-the-skill-of-influencing-people-to-work-enthusiastically/) [James Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hunter/) > [“Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/government-is-instituted-for-the-common-good-for-the-protection/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [When it all boils down, its about embracing each others stories and maybe even finding that synergy to collaborate for the common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhani-jones/when-it-all-boils-down-its-about-embracing-each-others-stories-and/) [Dhani Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhani-jones/) > [Even the best weapon is an unhappy tool, hateful to living things. So the follower of the Way stays away from it. Weapons are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/even-the-best-weapon-is-an-unhappy-tool-hateful-to-living-things-so/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Throughout the 1980's, we did hear too much about individual gain and the ethos of selfishness and greed. We did not hear enough a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/throughout-the-1980-s-we-did-hear-too-much-about-individual-gain-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 375 Common good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is an interesting, though idle, speculation, what would be the effect on us if all our reformers, revolutionaries, planners, politicians, and life-arrangers in general were soaked in Homer from their youth up, like the Greeks. 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