Irving Babbitt

Tell him, on the contrary, that he needs, in the interest of his own happiness, to walk in the path of humility and self-control, and he will be indifferent, or even actively resentful. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#contrary #even #happiness #him #his

An American of the present day reading his Sunday newspaper in a state of lazy collapse is one of the most perfect symbols of the triumph of quantity over quality that the world has yet seen. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#collapse #day #his #lazy #most

A democracy, the realistic observer is forced to conclude, is likely to be idealistic in its feelings about itself, but imperialistic about its practice. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#conclude #democracy #feelings #forced #idealistic

A man needs to look, not down, but up to standards set so much above his ordinary self as to make him feel that he is himself spiritually the underdog. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#down #feel #him #himself #his

Since every man desires happiness, it is evidently no small matter whether he conceives of happiness in terms of work or of enjoyment. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#desires #enjoyment #every #every man #evidently

Furthermore, America suffers not only from a lack of standards, but also not infrequently from a confusion or an inversion of standards. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#america #confusion #furthermore #infrequently #inversion

The industrial revolution has tended to produce everywhere great urban masses that seem to be increasingly careless of ethical standards. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#ethical #everywhere #great #increasingly #industrial

A remarkable feature of the humanitarian movement, on both its sentimental and utilitarian sides, has been its preoccupation with the lot of the masses. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#both #feature #humanitarian #lot #masses

According to the new ethics, virtue is not restrictive but expansive, a sentiment and even an intoxication. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#ethics #even #expansive #intoxication #new

For behind all imperialism is ultimately the imperialistic individual, just as behind all peace is ultimately the peaceful individual. ↗

— Irving Babbitt

#behind #imperialism #imperialistic #individual #just