--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Topics of conversation among the…" description: "\"Topics of conversation among the multitude are generally persons, sometimes things, scarcely ever principles.\" — William Benton Clulow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/william-benton-clulow-26274_communication_topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitu_1916366.jpg" --- # Topics of conversation among the multitude are generally… ![“Topics of conversation among the multitude are generally persons, sometimes things, scarcely ever principles.” quote by William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/william-benton-clulow-26274_communication_topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitu_1916366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/william-benton-clulow-26274_communication_topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitu_1916366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/william-benton-clulow-26274_communication_topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitu_1916366.jpg) > “Topics of conversation among the multitude are generally persons, sometimes things, scarcely ever principles.” [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People discuss individuals and objects more than ideas, neglecting deeper principles. **In simple terms:** Talk focuses on people and things, not principles. Key Takeaway Encourage principle‑based dialogue. Themes communication principles superficiality Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - team meetings - public debates - educational settings Key Concepts philosophy critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can you steer conversations toward principles? - What barriers prevent principle‑focused talk? A Different Perspective Discussions may avoid uncomfortable truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Conversation Multitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation-multitude-2916933/) [Generally Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generally-persons-2865462/) [Multitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/multitudes/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Persons Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons-things-1654950/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Scarcely Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scarcely-principles-2916932/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Things Scarcely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-scarcely-2916931/) [Topics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/topics/) ## Related quotes > [A writer - and, I believe, generally all persons - must think that whatever happens to him or her is a resource.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/a-writer-and-i-believe-generally-all-persons-must-think-that-whatever-2/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“We are not used to persons who do things simply for the love of god whom they don't believe in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-not-used-to-persons-who-do-things-simply-for-the-love-of-god/) [ayn rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [You see persons and things not as they are but as you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-see-persons-and-things-not-as-they-are-but-as-you-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have generally found that persons who had studied painting least were the best judges of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/i-have-generally-found-that-persons-who-had-studied-painting-least/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) > [Jesus Christ would have been considered just another long-haired hippie freak if he hadn't been crucified. The folks weren't impressed with healing the sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/jesus-christ-would-have-been-considered-just-another-long-haired/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [How many small decisions accumulate to form a habit? What a multitude of decisions, made by others, in other times, must shape our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/how-many-small-decisions-accumulate-to-form-a-habit-what-a-multitude/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [People who are not prepared to do unpopular things and defy the clamor of the multitude are not fit to be ministers in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/people-who-are-not-prepared-to-do-unpopular-things-and-defy-the/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [A good, finished scandal, fully armed and equipped, such as circulates in the world, is rarely the production of a single individual, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/a-good-finished-scandal-fully-armed-and-equipped-such-as-circulates/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [Great blunders are often made, like large ropes, of a multitude of fibres.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/great-blunders-are-often-made-like-large-ropes-of-a-multitude-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [You probably have to split yourself in various ways just in order to survive, and to think of yourself as a multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-seshadri/you-probably-have-to-split-yourself-in-various-ways-just-in-order-to/) [Vijay Seshadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-seshadri/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Mass adulation from the multitudes does not penetrate your soul or your core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-o-donnell/mass-adulation-from-the-multitudes-does-not-penetrate-your-soul-or/) [Rosie O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-o-donnell/) > [It is according to the shapes that I lay the plans for victory, but the multitude does not comprehend this. Although everyone can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-according-to-the-shapes-that-i-lay-the-plans-for-victory-but/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [The purpose of a spirit filled life is to demonstrate the supernatural power of our living God so that the unsaved multitudes will abandon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-osborn/the-purpose-of-a-spirit-filled-life-is-to-demonstrate-the/) [T.L. Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-osborn/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) ## More by William Benton Clulow > [There is such a delusion as evinces itself in cool vehemence; and it is the most dangerous of all expressions of fanaticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/there-is-such-a-delusion-as-evinces-itself-in-cool-vehemence-and-it/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [Man often acquires just so much knowledge as to discover his ignorance, and attains so much experience as to regret his follies, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/man-often-acquires-just-so-much-knowledge-as-to-discover-his/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [Time sheds a softness on remote objects or events, as local distance imparts to the landscape a smoothness and mellowness which disappear on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/time-sheds-a-softness-on-remote-objects-or-events-as-local-distance/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [After upwards of two thousand years Epicurus has been exonerated from the reproach that the doctrines of his philosophy recommended the pleasures of sensuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/after-upwards-of-two-thousand-years-epicurus-has-been-exonerated-from/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [Error is sometimes so nearly allied to truth that it blends with it as imperceptibly as the colors of the rainbow fade into each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/error-is-sometimes-so-nearly-allied-to-truth-that-it-blends-with-it/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [Many of the finest and most interesting emotions perish forever, because too complex and fugitive for expression. Of all things relating to man, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/many-of-the-finest-and-most-interesting-emotions-perish-forever/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [A thorough: miser must possess considerable strength of character to bear the self-denial imposed by his penuriousness. Equal sacrifices, endured voluntarily in a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/a-thorough-miser-must-possess-considerable-strength-of-character-to/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [Great books, like large skulls, have often the least brains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/great-books-like-large-skulls-have-often-the-least-brains/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [Philosophy abounds more than philosophers, and learning more than learned men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/philosophy-abounds-more-than-philosophers-and-learning-more-than/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [Fancy has an extensive influence in morals. Some of the most powerful and dangerous feelings in nature, as those of ambition and envy, derive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/fancy-has-an-extensive-influence-in-morals-some-of-the-most-powerful/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [It is possible to indulge too great contempt for mere success, which is frequently attended with all the practical advantages of merit itself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/it-is-possible-to-indulge-too-great-contempt-for-mere-success-which/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [The Chinese, whom it might be well to disparage less and imitate more, seem almost the only people among whom learning and merit have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/the-chinese-whom-it-might-be-well-to-disparage-less-and-imitate-more/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [The fame which bids fair to live the longest resembles that which Horace attributes to Marcellus, whose progress he compares to the silent, imperceptible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/the-fame-which-bids-fair-to-live-the-longest-resembles-that-which/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [For popular purposes, at least, the aim of literary artists should be similar to that of Rubens in his landscapes, of which, without neglecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/for-popular-purposes-at-least-the-aim-of-literary-artists-should-be/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [I would rather be the author of one original thought than conqueror of a hundred battles. Yet moral excellence is so much superior to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/i-would-rather-be-the-author-of-one-original-thought-than-conqueror/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) [Explore all 22 William Benton Clulow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) [Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Topics of conversation among the multitude are generally persons, sometimes things, scarcely ever principles.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Benton Clulow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitude-are-generally-persons/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitude-are-generally-persons/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/william-benton-clulow-26274_communication_topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitu_1916366.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/william-benton-clulow-26274_communication_topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitu_1916366.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/william-benton-clulow-26274_communication_topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitu_1916366.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Topics of conversation among the multitude are generally persons, sometimes things, scarcely ever principles.” — William Benton Clulow", "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": "William Benton Clulow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Topics of conversation among the multitude...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitude-are-generally-persons/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/topics-of-conversation-among-the-multitude-are-generally-persons/#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 } } ] } ```