Ability Quote by William Feather
“In ability choice education finance majorities people understanding voting A lot of voters always cast their ballot for the candidate who seems to them to be one of the people. That means he must have the same superstitions, the same unbalanced prejudices, and the same lack of understanding of public finances that are characteristic of the majority. A better choice would be a candidate who has a closer understanding and a better education than the majority. Too much voting is based on affability rather than on ability.”
About This Quote
People often vote for candidates who resemble them, assuming shared beliefs and knowledge, which can lead to electing poorly informed leaders.
In simple terms: Voters pick familiar faces, not necessarily capable ones.
Key Takeaway
Choose leaders based on competence, not similarity.
Themes
democracy
politics
education
voter behavior
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
advisory
analytical
When to use this quote
- elections
- candidate selection
- public discourse
Key Concepts
representative bias
knowledge gap
populism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can voters assess a candidate's expertise?
- What mechanisms improve informed voting?
A Different Perspective
Similarity does not guarantee competence.
![“A much more radical conclusion . . . that, so far as I know, is shared by only a very few students of public choice [is]: that government employees or people who draw the bulk of their income from government by other means should be deprived of the vote . . . It is another example of the opening…” quote by Gordon Tullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cfd/gordon-tullock-64030_alternatives_a-much-more-radical-conclusion-that-so-f_1260888.jpg)
