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Beatrice Webb Quotes

Sociologist

Beatrice Webb was a British sociologist renowned for her research on social issues during the Industrial Revolution. Her work had a profound impact on later sociological theories.

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All Ifs Class Men Seems Fear Opinion People Self Superiors Wealth

Famous Beatrice Webb Quotes

“Nature still obstinately refuses to co-operate by making the rich people innately superior to the poor people.”

People Stills Wealth Poor Rich Refuse Superiors Inequality Poor People Rich People

Book:The Decay of Capitalist Civilisation

Source: The Decay of Capitalist Civilisation

“It would be curious to discover who it is to whom one writes in a diary. Possibly to some mysterious personification of one's own identity.”

Writing Would Be Identity Mysterious Curious Diaries Personification

Book:My Apprenticeship

Source: My Apprenticeship

“Renunciation - that is the great fact we all, individuals and classes, have to learn. In trying to avoid it we bring misery to ourselves and others.”

Trying Facts Individual Class Misery Renunciation

Book:The Diary of Beatrice Webb: Glitter Around and Darkness Within, 1873-1892

Source: The Diary of Beatrice Webb: Glitter Around and Darkness Within, 1873-1892

“Beneath the surface of our daily life, in the personal history of many of us, there runs a continuous controversy between an Ego that affirms and an Ego that denies.”

Running Ego Deny Surface Daily Life Controversy Ambivalence Beneath The Surface Personal History

Book:My Apprenticeship

Source: My Apprenticeship

“we have not been impressed with any attribute of the Senate other than its appearance and manners. We have heard the best speakers: they all fire off speeches which deal with the entire subject in general terms and which do not attempt to debate, to answer opponents' arguments or offer new points for discussion. And the speeches are constantly degenerating into empty rhetoric; they abound in quotations from well-known authors or from their own former speeches.”

Source: American diary, 1898

“All along the line, physically, mentally, morally, alcohol is a weakening and deadening force.”

Force Lines Drinking Alcohol Weakening

Author:Beatrice Webb

“Harris had the egotistical dogmatism of the self-made man who had painfully educated himself without contact with superior brains.”

Men Made Self Brain Education Superiors Contact Educated Egotistical Self Made Dogmatism Self Made Man

Book:American diary, 1898

Source: American diary, 1898

“the possession of wealth, and especially the inheritance of wealth, seems almost invariably to sterilize genius.”

Seems Wealth Genius Possession Inheritance

Author:Beatrice Webb

“Are all Cabinets congeries of little autocrats with a super-autocrat presiding over them?”

Littles Government Cabinets

Book:Diaries, 1924-1932

Source: Diaries, 1924-1932

“The interruptions of the telephone seem to us to waste half the life of the ordinary American engaged in public or private business; he has seldom half an hour consecutively at his own disposal - a telephone is a veritable time scatterer.”

Seems Hours Half Waste Ordinary Engaged Telephones Interruptions

Author:Beatrice Webb

“The middle man governs, however extreme may seem to be the men who sit on the Front Bench, in their reactionary or revolutionary opinions.”

Men May Seems Opinion Middle Fronts He Man Extremes Revolutionary Benches Reactionaries

Book:Diaries, 1924-1932

Source: Diaries, 1924-1932

“. . . if I had been a man, self-respect, family pressure and the public opinion of my class would have pushed me into a money-making profession; as a mere woman I could carve out a career of disinterested research.”

Ifs Men Self Opinion Class Careers Research Pressure Mere Profession Making Money Self Respect Dishes Public Opinion Disinterested

Book:My Apprenticeship

Source: My Apprenticeship

“At present I feel like a caged animal, bound up by the luxury, comfort and respectability of my position. I can't get the training that I want without neglecting my duty.”

Want Feels I Can Animal Position Duty Comfort Training Bounds Luxury Neglect Respectability Caged Caged Animal

Book:The Diary of Beatrice Webb: Glitter Around and Darkness Within, 1873-1892

Source: The Diary of Beatrice Webb: Glitter Around and Darkness Within, 1873-1892

“That part of the Englishman's nature which has found gratification in religion is now drifting into political life.”

Political Found Gratification Englishmen Drifting Political Life

Book:My Apprenticeship

Source: My Apprenticeship

“Religion is love; in no case is it logic.”

Love Religion Women Cases Logic

Author:Beatrice Webb

“Work is the best of narcotics, providing the patient be strong enough to take it. I dread idleness as if it were Hell.”

Ifs Enough Strong Fear Hell Patient Dread Providing Idleness Strong Enough Narcotics

Author:Beatrice Webb

“If a weakly mortal is to do anything in the world besides eat the bread thereof, there must be a determined subordination of the whole nature to the one aim no trifling with time, which is passing, with strength which is only too limited.”

Ifs World Whole Nature Aim Determined Passing Bread Passings Mortals Demise Trifling Subordination

Book:The Diary of Beatrice Webb: Glitter Around and Darkness Within, 1873-1892

Source: The Diary of Beatrice Webb: Glitter Around and Darkness Within, 1873-1892

“If I ever felt inclined to be timid as I was going into a room hill of people, I would say to myself, "You're the cleverest member of one of the cleverest families in the cleverest class of the cleverest nation in the world-why should you be frightened?”

People Ifs World Should Nations Felt Fear Rooms Class Members Hills Frightened

Author:Beatrice Webb

About the Author

Born: January 22, 1858
Died: April 30, 1943
Known for: Sociologist
Quotes: 18

Books & Sources

My ApprenticeshipRelated source material

The Diary of Beatrice Webb: Glitter Around and Darkness Within, 1873-1892Related source material

American diary, 1898Related source material

Diaries, 1924-1932Related source material

The Decay of Capitalist CivilisationRelated source material

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