--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Believe me, sir,” he writes in the…" description: "\"“Believe me, sir,” he writes in the Reflections, “those who attempt to level never equalize. In all societies consisting of various descriptions of cit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/yuval-levin-33921_quote_believe-me-sir-he-writes-in-the-reflecti_1431503.jpg" --- # Believe me, sir,” he writes in the Reflections, “those who… ![“Believe me, sir,” he writes in the Reflections, “those who attempt to level never equalize. In all societies consisting of various descriptions of citizens, some description must be uppermost.” quote by Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/yuval-levin-33921_quote_believe-me-sir-he-writes-in-the-reflecti_1431503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/yuval-levin-33921_quote_believe-me-sir-he-writes-in-the-reflecti_1431503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/yuval-levin-33921_quote_believe-me-sir-he-writes-in-the-reflecti_1431503.jpg) > ““Believe me, sir,” he writes in the Reflections, “those who attempt to level never equalize. In all societies consisting of various descriptions of citizens, some description must be uppermost.”” [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting to make everyone equal ignores natural hierarchies; societies inevitably rank people. **In simple terms:** Equality attempts ignore natural rankings. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect natural differences. Themes hierarchy equality society Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political policy - organizational design - education - team management Key Concepts social stratification natural order Questions to Reflect On - How do hierarchies affect fairness? - Can true equality exist? A Different Perspective Equality may overlook systemic injustice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe Sir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-sir-5098380/) [Citizens Description](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens-description-5098379/) [Descriptions Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/descriptions-citizens-5098378/) [Equalize Societies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equalize-societies-5098376/) [Reflections Attempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflections-attempt-5098377/) ## Related quotes > [Dakin (to Irwin, his teacher): Do you really believe that, sir, or are you just trying to make us think?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bennett/dakin-to-irwin-his-teacher-do-you-really-believe-that-sir-or-are-you/) [Anthony Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bennett/) ## More by Yuval Levin > [“On the scheme of this barbarous philosophy,” Burke wrote in the Reflections, “which is the offspring of cold hearts and muddy understandings, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/on-the-scheme-of-this-barbarous-philosophy-burke-wrote-in-the/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“Kings will be tyrants from policy when subjects are rebels from principle,” Burke writes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/kings-will-be-tyrants-from-policy-when-subjects-are-rebels-from/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“What is remarkable in Burke’s first performance,” wrote his great nineteenth-century biographer John Morley, “is his discernment of the important fact that behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/what-is-remarkable-in-burke-s-first-performance-wrote-his-great/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“Burke argued that political parties were not, as many people insisted, factions each contending for its own particular advantage, but rather were bodies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/burke-argued-that-political-parties-were-not-as-many-people-insisted/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“Justice is itself the great standing policy of civil society; and any eminent departure from it, under any circumstances, lies under the suspicion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/justice-is-itself-the-great-standing-policy-of-civil-society-and-any-2/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“Burke was not a sentimentalist, however.43 “Leave a man to his passions,” he wrote, “and you leave a wild beast to a savage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/burke-was-not-a-sentimentalist-however-43-leave-a-man-to-his-passions/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“Men little think how immorally they act in rashly meddling with what they do not understand. Their delusive good intention is no sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/men-little-think-how-immorally-they-act-in-rashly-meddling-with-what/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“The idea of forcing every thing to an artificial equality has something, at first view, very captivating in it,” Burke writes. “It has all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/the-idea-of-forcing-every-thing-to-an-artificial-equality-has/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [ “\[T\]heories inevitably can't be as complex as life itself.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/t-heories-inevitably-can-t-be-as-complex-as-life-itself/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“The middle layers of society, where people see each other face to face, offer a middle ground between radical individualism and extreme centralization. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/the-middle-layers-of-society-where-people-see-each-other-face-to-face/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“The experience of seeing differences of dogma made moot in practice by the bonds of family affection and neighborly respect was formative for him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/the-experience-of-seeing-differences-of-dogma-made-moot-in-practice/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“The government of human beings, he argued, is a matter not of applying cold rules and principles, but of tending to warm sentiments and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/the-government-of-human-beings-he-argued-is-a-matter-not-of-applying/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [“Indeed, Burke argues that change, understood in this way as “a principle of growth,” is not only permissible but essential, and essential precisely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/indeed-burke-argues-that-change-understood-in-this-way-as-a-principle/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) [Explore all 14 Yuval Levin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Believe me, sir,” he writes in the Reflections, “those who attempt to level never equalize. 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