 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Democratic education unadulterated has evils which are as great as those of aristocracy, if not greater. Democracy as a sentiment has two sides. When it says "I am as good as you," it is wholesome, but when it says "you are no better than I am," it becomes oppressive and an obstacle to the development of exceptional merit. To put the matter more accurately: democracy is good when it inspires self-respect, and bad when it inspires persecution of exceptional individuals by the herd.
Source: Education and the Social Order, 1934, chapter 6: Aristocrats, Democrats, and Bureaucrats, p.83 (= G. Allen & Unwin Ltd. ed.)
More info.: https://russell-j.com/cool/ESO_1934.pdf