--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be egalitarian regarding persons. Be…" description: "\"Be egalitarian regarding persons. Be elitist regarding ideas.\" — Peter Kreeft" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/peter-kreeft-820_egalitarian_be-egalitarian-regarding-persons-be-elit_2212364.png" --- # Be egalitarian regarding persons. Be elitist regarding… ![“Be egalitarian regarding persons. Be elitist regarding ideas.” quote by Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/peter-kreeft-820_egalitarian_be-egalitarian-regarding-persons-be-elit_2212364.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/peter-kreeft-820_egalitarian_be-egalitarian-regarding-persons-be-elit_2212364.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/peter-kreeft-820_egalitarian_be-egalitarian-regarding-persons-be-elit_2212364.png) > “Be egalitarian regarding persons. Be elitist regarding ideas.” [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Treat people equally, but value ideas based on merit. **In simple terms:** Equality for people; merit for ideas. Key Takeaway Separate person from idea. Themes ethics ideas elitism Mood reflective critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - education - debate - leadership - policy making Key Concepts philosophy political theory Questions to Reflect On - How to balance respect and critique? - When should ideas be rejected? A Different Perspective Elitism can marginalize dissenting voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Egalitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egalitarian/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ## Related quotes > [Life in cyberspace is often conducted in primitive frontier conditions, but it is a life which, at its best, is more egalitarian than elitist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/life-in-cyberspace-is-often-conducted-in-primitive-frontier/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [Particularly during the late 1960s, a large number of American skyjackers earnestly believed that Fidel Castro's Cuba was an egalitarian, post-racial utopia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-i-koerner/particularly-during-the-late-1960s-a-large-number-of-american/) [Brendan I. Koerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-i-koerner/) > [Islam is in principle egalitarian, and has always had problems with power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-douglas/islam-is-in-principle-egalitarian-and-has-always-had-problems-with/) [Mary Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-douglas/) > [The egalitarian doctrine is manifestly contrary to all the facts established by biology and by history. Only fanatical partisans of this theory can contend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-egalitarian-doctrine-is-manifestly-contrary-to-all-the-facts/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [“The egalitarian passion is a perversion of the critical sense: atrophy of the faculty of discrimination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/the-egalitarian-passion-is-a-perversion-of-the-critical-sense-atrophy/) [Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [Scratch an egalitarian, and you will inevitably find a statist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scratch-an-egalitarian-and-you-will-inevitably-find-a-statist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Egalitarian societies strangle the imagination without even satisfying envy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/egalitarian-societies-strangle-the-imagination-without-even/) [Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [Egalitarian policies are the best way to unite and empower people, and are also a necessary counterweight to the sometimes detrimental influence of market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-siguroardottir/egalitarian-policies-are-the-best-way-to-unite-and-empower-people-and/) [Johanna Siguroardottir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-siguroardottir/) > [We are a democratic, egalitarian people who spend our days desperately trying to climb over each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-a-democratic-egalitarian-people-who-spend-our-days-desperately/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“the egalitarian lifestyles of hunter-gatherers exist because the individuals care a lot about status. Individuals in these societies end up roughly equal because everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/the-egalitarian-lifestyles-of-hunter-gatherers-exist-because-the/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Money is the most egalitarian force in society. It confers power on whoever holds it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-starr/money-is-the-most-egalitarian-force-in-society-it-confers-power-on/) Roger Starr > [Like many works of literature, Hollywood chooses for its villains people who strive for social dominance through the pursuit of wealth, prestige, and power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-tabarrok/like-many-works-of-literature-hollywood-chooses-for-its-villains/) [Alex Tabarrok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-tabarrok/) > [“The graduated tax is a confiscatory tax. Its effect, and to a large extent its aim, is to bring down all men to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-m-goldwater/the-graduated-tax-is-a-confiscatory-tax-its-effect-and-to-a-large/) [Barry M. Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-m-goldwater/) > [“I do believe that the emphasis on egalitarian and respectful sex—purged of any expressions of power, aggression, and transgression—is antithetical to erotic desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/i-do-believe-that-the-emphasis-on-egalitarian-and-respectful-sex/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [For capitalism flourishes best in a mobile and egalitarian society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-fukuyama/for-capitalism-flourishes-best-in-a-mobile-and-egalitarian-society/) [Francis Fukuyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-fukuyama/) ## More by Peter Kreeft > [“I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/i-strongly-suspect-that-if-we-saw-all-the-difference-even-the-tiniest/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [God's love is as objective as light. Because the sun in a sense is light, or the source of light rather than being lit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-love-is-as-objective-as-light-because-the-sun-in-a-sense-is/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [The self is like a baseball. Throw it back to the divine pitcher who pitched it to you in the first place, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-self-is-like-a-baseball-throw-it-back-to-the-divine-pitcher-who/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [How will the Tower of Babel be undone? How will we understand each other in Heaven? Will we all speak English or Dutch or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/how-will-the-tower-of-babel-be-undone-how-will-we-understand-each/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Humility is the marriage bond of Heaven. Pride is the frigidity of Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/humility-is-the-marriage-bond-of-heaven-pride-is-the-frigidity-of-hell/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“Socrates says we must be either fools because we think we are wise, or wise because we know we are fools. Christ says we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/socrates-says-we-must-be-either-fools-because-we-think-we-are-wise-or/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [No sane person wants hell to exist. No sane person wants evil to exist. But hell is just evil eternalized. If there is evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-sane-person-wants-hell-to-exist-no-sane-person-wants-evil-to-exist/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Science only answers the question, How does it work? Or at most, What's there? Science asks what and how, philosophy asks why, myth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/science-only-answers-the-question-how-does-it-work-or-at-most-what-s/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [The most compelling evidence for God's existence is Christ. If God does not exist, then Christ was the biggest fool who ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-compelling-evidence-for-god-s-existence-is-christ-if-god/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“One moment of prayer, of weak worship, confused contrition, tepid thanksgiving, or pitiful petition will bring us closer to God than all the books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/one-moment-of-prayer-of-weak-worship-confused-contrition-tepid/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [God's interventions are miracles: events that cannot happen by merely natural agents but only by a supernatural agent. They no more interfere with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-interventions-are-miracles-events-that-cannot-happen-by-merely/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“And what is consensus? It means a majority of the individuals in a society coming together and agreeing to make their values into laws,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/and-what-is-consensus-it-means-a-majority-of-the-individuals-in-a/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Love is the binding force on every level of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/love-is-the-binding-force-on-every-level-of-existence/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [We can't believe what we believe to be untrue, and we can't love what we believe to be unreal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/we-can-t-believe-what-we-believe-to-be-untrue-and-we-can-t-love-what/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) [Explore all 361 Peter Kreeft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) ## More Egalitarian quotes > [For capitalism flourishes best in a mobile and egalitarian society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-fukuyama/for-capitalism-flourishes-best-in-a-mobile-and-egalitarian-society/) [Francis Fukuyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-fukuyama/) > [“I do believe that the emphasis on egalitarian and respectful sex—purged of any expressions of power, aggression, and transgression—is antithetical to erotic desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/i-do-believe-that-the-emphasis-on-egalitarian-and-respectful-sex/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“The graduated tax is a confiscatory tax. Its effect, and to a large extent its aim, is to bring down all men to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-m-goldwater/the-graduated-tax-is-a-confiscatory-tax-its-effect-and-to-a-large/) [Barry M. Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-m-goldwater/) > [Like many works of literature, Hollywood chooses for its villains people who strive for social dominance through the pursuit of wealth, prestige, and power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-tabarrok/like-many-works-of-literature-hollywood-chooses-for-its-villains/) [Alex Tabarrok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-tabarrok/) > [Money is the most egalitarian force in society. It confers power on whoever holds it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-starr/money-is-the-most-egalitarian-force-in-society-it-confers-power-on/) Roger Starr > [“the egalitarian lifestyles of hunter-gatherers exist because the individuals care a lot about status. Individuals in these societies end up roughly equal because everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/the-egalitarian-lifestyles-of-hunter-gatherers-exist-because-the/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [We are a democratic, egalitarian people who spend our days desperately trying to climb over each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-a-democratic-egalitarian-people-who-spend-our-days-desperately/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Egalitarian policies are the best way to unite and empower people, and are also a necessary counterweight to the sometimes detrimental influence of market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-siguroardottir/egalitarian-policies-are-the-best-way-to-unite-and-empower-people-and/) [Johanna Siguroardottir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-siguroardottir/) > [“Egalitarian societies strangle the imagination without even satisfying envy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/egalitarian-societies-strangle-the-imagination-without-even/) [Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [Scratch an egalitarian, and you will inevitably find a statist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scratch-an-egalitarian-and-you-will-inevitably-find-a-statist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The egalitarian passion is a perversion of the critical sense: atrophy of the faculty of discrimination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/the-egalitarian-passion-is-a-perversion-of-the-critical-sense-atrophy/) [Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [The egalitarian doctrine is manifestly contrary to all the facts established by biology and by history. Only fanatical partisans of this theory can contend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-egalitarian-doctrine-is-manifestly-contrary-to-all-the-facts/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Islam is in principle egalitarian, and has always had problems with power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-douglas/islam-is-in-principle-egalitarian-and-has-always-had-problems-with/) [Mary Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-douglas/) > [Particularly during the late 1960s, a large number of American skyjackers earnestly believed that Fidel Castro's Cuba was an egalitarian, post-racial utopia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-i-koerner/particularly-during-the-late-1960s-a-large-number-of-american/) [Brendan I. Koerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-i-koerner/) > [On the surface, public schools can seem egalitarian, especially with their websites' emphasis on words such as 'connection,' 'community,' and 'choice.' Yet despite this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/on-the-surface-public-schools-can-seem-egalitarian-especially-with/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) [Browse all 57 Egalitarian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egalitarian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Be egalitarian regarding persons. 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