---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And don’t forget that it is the press…"
description: "\"“And don’t forget that it is the press, the pulpit, and the university that mould public opinion, set the thought-pace of the nation. As for the artist..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/jack-london-595_art_and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-th_2776727.jpg"
---

#  And don’t forget that it is the press, the pulpit, and the…

![“And don’t forget that it is the press, the pulpit, and the university that mould public opinion, set the thought-pace of the nation. As for the artists, they merely pander to the little less than ignoble tastes of the Plutocracy.” quote by Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/jack-london-595_art_and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-th_2776727.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/jack-london-595_art_and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-th_2776727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/jack-london-595_art_and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-th_2776727.jpg)

> ““And don’t forget that it is the press, the pulpit, and the university that mould public opinion, set the thought-pace of the nation. As for the artists, they merely pander to the little less than ignoble tastes of the Plutocracy.””

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues that press, pulpit, and university shape public opinion, while artists cater to elite tastes.

**In simple terms:** Institutions shape thought; artists serve the elite.

Key Takeaway

Critically assess who controls public discourse.

Themes

media influence elite control public opinion

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- education
- journalism
- art criticism

Key Concepts

political science cultural studies

Questions to Reflect On

- Who truly controls public opinion?
- How can artists resist elite tastes?

A Different Perspective

Power structures can limit diverse voices.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists Merely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-merely-3280709/) [Plutocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plutocracy/) [Press Pulpit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/press-pulpit-1584851/) [Public opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-opinion/) [Tastes Plutocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tastes-plutocracy-3280708/)

## Related quotes

> [“Ai is not a threat to artists; it's merely a reflection of your genius, a machine's attempt to copy your mastery. — Raigon Stanley”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raigon-stanley/ai-is-not-a-threat-to-artists-it-s-merely-a-reflection-of-your-genius/)

[Raigon Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raigon-stanley/)

> [“. . . the press and the pulpit have in every age and every nation been on the side of the exploiting class and the ruling class.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/the-press-and-the-pulpit-have-in-every-age-and-every-nation-been-on/)

[Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/)

> [The press, the pulpit, and the stage, Conspire to censure and expose our age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-dillon-4th-earl-of-roscommon/the-press-the-pulpit-and-the-stage-conspire-to-censure-and-expose-our/)

[Wentworth Dillon, 4th Earl of Roscommon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-dillon-4th-earl-of-roscommon/)

> [In a polite age almost every person becomes a reader, and receives more instruction from the Press than the Pulpit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/in-a-polite-age-almost-every-person-becomes-a-reader-and-receives/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [“The press of the United States? It is a parasitic growth that battens on the capitalist class. Its function is to serve the established…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/the-press-of-the-united-states-it-is-a-parasitic-growth-that-battens/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“Because it is a curious challenge for western man to distinguish between aristocracy and plutocracy, it will be his unhappy fate to struggle under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fahy/because-it-is-a-curious-challenge-for-western-man-to-distinguish/)

[Tom Fahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fahy/)

> [This combat between proletariat and plutocracy is, after all, itself a civil war. Two inferiorities struggle for the privilege of polluting the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/this-combat-between-proletariat-and-plutocracy-is-after-all-itself-a/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [Democracy is just a word. You have to give it meaning. The US is not a democracy. Most Americans do not vote. We haven't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-clark/democracy-is-just-a-word-you-have-to-give-it-meaning-the-us-is-not-a/)

[Ramsey Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-clark/)

> [We always come back to the same misunderstanding. The Jews because of their spirit of revolt, their exclusiveness and the Messianic tendencies which animate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-v-deponcins/we-always-come-back-to-the-same-misunderstanding-the-jews-because-of/)

[Leon V. DePoncins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-v-deponcins/)

> [I can't agree that what we're seeing is a matter of the American bourgeoisie confronting workers everywhere. It's more like the international plutocracy eliminating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/i-can-t-agree-that-what-we-re-seeing-is-a-matter-of-the-american/)

[Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/)

> [We're not a democracy. It's a terrible misunderstandin g and a slander to the idea of democracy to call us that. In reality, we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-clark/we-re-not-a-democracy-it-s-a-terrible-misunderstandin-g-and-a-slander/)

[Ramsey Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-clark/)

> [Of all forms of tyranny the least attractive and the most vulgar is the tyranny of mere wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/of-all-forms-of-tyranny-the-least-attractive-and-the-most-vulgar-is/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [If you give up on politics, you're giving up on democracy. And if you give up on democracy, you're basically saying to the moneyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/if-you-give-up-on-politics-you-re-giving-up-on-democracy-and-if-you/)

[Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/)

> [Dark influences from the American past congregate among us still. If we are a democracy, what are we to make of the palpable elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/dark-influences-from-the-american-past-congregate-among-us-still-if/)

[Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/)

> [I will always fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, always fight demagogues of all parties, never belong to any party,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/i-will-always-fight-for-progress-and-reform-never-tolerate-injustice/)

[Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/)

## More by Jack London

> [It's better to stand by someone's side than by yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/it-s-better-to-stand-by-someone-s-side-than-by-yourself/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“And all the while the four men lay beside me and watched and made no move. Nor did I move, and without shame I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/and-all-the-while-the-four-men-lay-beside-me-and-watched-and-made-no/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“As the days went by, the evolution of LIKE into LOVE was accelerated. White Fang himself began to grow aware of it, though in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/as-the-days-went-by-the-evolution-of-like-into-love-was-accelerated/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“But he knew life, its foulness as well as its fairness, its greatness in spite of the slime that infested it, and by God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/but-he-knew-life-its-foulness-as-well-as-its-fairness-its-greatness/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [more you drink more you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/more-you-drink-more-you-want/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [Of her own experience she had no memory of the thing happening; but in her instinct, which was the experience of all mothers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/of-her-own-experience-she-had-no-memory-of-the-thing-happening-but-in/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [Socialism, when the last word is said, is merely a new economic and political system whereby more men can get food to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/socialism-when-the-last-word-is-said-is-merely-a-new-economic-and/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“As I, my real self, grew older, I entered more and more into the substance of my dreams. One may dream, and even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/as-i-my-real-self-grew-older-i-entered-more-and-more-into-the/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [I would rather be ashes than dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-believe-that-when-i-am-dead-i-am-dead-i-believe-that-with-my-death/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“He wastes his time over his writing, trying to accomplish what geniuses and rare men with college educations sometimes accomplish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/he-wastes-his-time-over-his-writing-trying-to-accomplish-what/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“Strength is an empty shell. One cannot violate the promptings of one’s nature without having that nature recoil upon itself. Show me a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/strength-is-an-empty-shell-one-cannot-violate-the-promptings-of-one-s/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-d-rather-sing-one-wild-song-and-burst-my-heart-with-it-than-live-a/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

[Explore all 425 Jack London quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“And don’t forget that it is the press, the pulpit, and the university that mould public opinion, set the thought-pace of the nation. As for the artists, they merely pander to the little less than ignoble tastes of the Plutocracy.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jack London"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-the-pulpit-and-the-university/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-the-pulpit-and-the-university/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/jack-london-595_art_and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-th_2776727.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/jack-london-595_art_and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-th_2776727.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/jack-london-595_art_and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-th_2776727.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“And don’t forget that it is the press, the pulpit, and the university that mould public opinion, set the…” — Jack London",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jack London",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“And don’t forget that it is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-the-pulpit-and-the-university/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/and-don-t-forget-that-it-is-the-press-the-pulpit-and-the-university/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
