Woodrow Wilson Quotes

For many centuries Chinese society has been free of class distinctions such as are found even in advanced democracies.

I don't campaign for the end of the aristocracy or the upper classes; I don't really want to destroy anything at all. I just want more plurality.

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

Our democracy may have an aristocracy of talent, as Jefferson said – which is fine – but we don’t want everyone else to be left out. Something like that seems to be happening, though.

I am no leveller; I look upon an artificial equality as equally pernicious with a factitious aristocracy; both depressing the energies and checking the enterprise of a nation.

An aristocracy in a republic is like a chicken whose head has been cut off; it may run about in a lively way, but in fact it is dead.

As in the Divine Right of Kings, hierarchies invest those who preside at the top of their pyramidal structure with absolute power to rule over the lesser ranks that spread down like a marble staircase to the broad foundation stones of those with no power at all.

We don't have to sit by and watch our meritocracy be replaced by a permanent aristocracy, and our democracy be undermined by dynastic wealth.

I reject absolutely the idea that people should know their place, and know their class.

If education does not create a need for the best in life, then we are stuck in an undemocratic, rigid caste society.

The problem is that the U.K. in essence is a feudal society. It's everyone in their place.

There is something inherent in our democracy that tends to want to level. America is a little uncomfortable in the presence of someone who is distinctly superior in whatever way.

Our aristocracy, unlike that of Europe, is open to all comers.

It has often been said, that there is but one rank of men in America… we have no artificial distinctions of men into noblemen and commoners among us, but it ought to be remarked, that superior degrees of industry and capacity, and above all, commerce, have introduced inequality of property among us, and these have introduced natural distinctions of rank in Pennsylvania, as certain and general as the artificial distinctions of men in Europe. This will ever be the case while commerce exists in this country.

You are afraid of the one, I, of the few.... You are apprehensive of monarchy, I, of aristocracy.

In this country there is no rank but rank mutton.

Our nation has in 300 years grown apart from even the democratic ideals of other peoples. In some of them class government still lingers; in others, democracy is little better than oligarchy.

Thus our [British] democracy was from an early period the most aristocratic, and our aristocracy the most democratic.

Governments do better without Kings & Nobles than with them.

The people of England are not, like the people of France, lovers of naked political equality. England is a great lover of liberty; but of equality she never has been so much enamored.

However energetically society in general may strive to make all the citizens equal and alike, the personal pride of each individual will always make him try to escape from the common level, and he will form some inequality somewhere to his own profit.

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.

If a [democratic] society displays less brilliance than an aristocracy, there will also be less wretchedness.

In political and social analysis, we still have not cut off the head of the king.

They say that a kingdom is like a pyramid: the king on top and the people below. But in this country, it's upside down.