Harold Nicolson Quotes

The scum of the People are most Tyrannical when they get the Power, and treat their Betters with the greatest Insolence.

The law is solely made for the exploitation of those who do not understand it.

I do not wish to see men of culture asking to be entrusted with power

Language does not make one an elite.

Every society naturally divides itself into classes. The author of nature has bestowed on some greater capacities than on others--birth, education, talents and wealth, create distinctions among men as visible and of as much influence as titles, stars and garters. In every society, men of this class will command a superior degree of respect--and if the government is so constituted as to admit but few to exercise the powers of it, it will, according to the natural course of things, be in their hands.

Aristocracy is naturally abhorrent to me, and adored equality is my idol.

The primary object of every elite, or ruling class, is to maintain its own power and privilege.

Whenever there are enclosing walls, there are abuses behind them.

Power is always gradually stealing away from the many to the few, because the few are more vigilant and consistent.

The people who exercise the power are not always the same people over whom it is exercised.

The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern.

The fundamental error of Europe has been to confine the light of knowledge to the wealthy and great, while the humble and the depressed have been as sedulously excluded from its participation as the wretched criminal, immured in a dungeon, is from the light of Heaven.

The surface of American society is covered with a layer of democratic paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic colors breaking through.

The landed men are the true owners of our political vessel, the moneyed men are no more than passengers in it.

Capitalism is very undemocratic. Capitalism gives you power according to your wealth while democracy gives you power according to your existence.

Only powerful people have liberty.

Intelligence is the only true aristocracy in a government like ours and the improved and educated mind has and will ever triumph over the ignorant uneducated mind

'The Prince' was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. 'Rules for Radicals' is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away.

The fight is over two fundamentally different ideas about the nature of America. On one side are those who believe that that every hardworking person should be able to rise. On the other are those who believe that wealthy white men should always rule over a permanent class of workers.

The rich do not want people who come from poor families to rise to the highest position in the country.

... I'm much closer to the people at the bottom than the people at the top, and the latter won't forgive me for it.

At the moment we have a ruling class that has one law and the people the other.

They who gain applause and power by pandering to the mistakes, the prejudices and passions of the multitude are the enemies of liberty.

Power is every stealing from the many to the few.

Slavery is malignantly aristocratic.