Stefan Zweig Quotes

I've been amazed at how fast and herd-like opinions in the United States are.

Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.

Men are like sheep, of which a flock is more easily driven than a single one.

Worship of society and popular opinion is idolatry.

As long as public opinion influences politicians, those who can influence public opinion will have great political weight

No usurped power can stand against the artillery of opinion.

Of course the people don't want war... It is the leaders...who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along...all you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

The human race is made up of sheep. It is governed by minorities, seldom or never by majorities. It suppresses its feelings and its beliefs and follows the handful that makes the most noise. Sometimes the noisy handful is right, sometimes wrong; but no matter, the crowd follows it.

A crowd is always impressed by the sum of its own number.

People say things they'll never do but then do them because they want to be a part of 'this great thing.'

There is a noticeable difference from a crowd surging against you and a crowd surging with you.

When we find ourselves in groups or with charismatic individuals, we might do things we wouldn't ordinarily do.

Our politicians want to keep us in a negative state because they can easily manipulate us.

Party is the madness of many for the gain of a few.

Men are sheep. Where one goes, the rest will soon follow. -Lady Whistledown

Why should we pay so much attention to what the majority thinks?

The shortest way to change a radical into a conservative, a liberal into a tyrant, a man into a beast, is to give him power over his fellows.

You can't build politics on love. People aren't concerned with love; it's too disordered. They prefer despotism. Too much freedom breeds chaos.

The public, therefore, among a democratic people, has a singular power, which aristocratic nations cannot conceive; for it does not persuade others to its beliefs, but it imposes them and makes them permeate the thinking of everyone by a sort of enormous pressure of the mind of all upon the individual intelligence.

We are discreet sheep; we wait to see how the drove is going, and then go with the drove. We have two opinions: one private, which we are afraid to express; and another one - the one we use - which we force ourselves to wear to please Mrs. Grundy, until habit makes us comfortable in it, and the custom of defending it presently makes us love it, adore it, and forget how pitifully we came by it. Look at it in politics.

The laughers are a majority.

You count snouts,” Straha said. “Whichever side can persuade most snouts to join it prevails. It does not have to be clever. It does not have to be wise. It only needs to be popular.

Public opinion, because of the tremendous urge to conformity in gregarious animals, is less tolerant than any system of law.

If all those around you believe some particular thing, you will soon be tempted to share in that belief.

When we lose our individual independence in the corporateness of a mass movement, we find a new freedom — freedom to hate, bully, lie, torture, murder and betray without shame and remorse.