Education Quote by Thornton Wilder
““It required all his delicate Epicurean education to prevent his doing something about it; he had to repeat over to himself his favorite notions: that the injustice and unhappiness in the world is a constant; that the theory of progress is a delusion; that the poor, never having known happiness, are insensible to misfortune. Like all the rich he could not bring himself to believe that the poor (look at their houses, look at their clothes) could really suffer. Like all the cultivated he believed that only the widely read could be said to know that they were unhappy.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Bridge of San Luis Rey, 1927
A privileged person uses philosophical rationalizations to ignore the suffering of the poor, believing misery is inevitable and progress an illusion.
In simple terms: The rich deny the poor’s suffering with intellectual excuses.
Key Takeaway
Question your assumptions about inequality.
Themes
philosophy
class
inequality
denial
Mood
reflective
critical
empathetic
Type
analysis
commentary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- social work
- policy making
- education reform
- personal reflection
- journalism
Key Concepts
nihilism
social critique
moral responsibility
Questions to Reflect On
- How do your beliefs shape your response to others’ pain?
- What evidence challenges the idea that progress is a delusion?
A Different Perspective
The argument overlooks systemic factors that can change conditions.
