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Quote by John Ralston Saul

“In the humanist ideal, the mainstream is where interesting debate, the generating of new ideas and creativity take place. In rational society this mainstream is considered uncontrollable and is therefore made marginal. The centre ground is occupied instead by structures and courtiers.”

Quote by John Ralston Saul

Author

John Ralston Saul

John Ralston Saul is a Canadian author, political theorist, and public intellectual. He is known for his profound insights into democracy, civil society, and globalization. Saul's work covers a wide range of topics, including political philosophy, history, and cultural commentary. more

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“In all earlier civilizations, it should be remembered, commerce was treated as a narrow activity and by no means the senior sector in society.”

Should Mean Civilization Activity Treated Remembered Commerce Senior

Book:The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

Source: The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

“Moral crusade: Public activity undertaken by middle-aged men who are cheating on their wives or diddling little boys. Moral crusades are particularly popular among those seeking power for their own personal pleasure, politicians who can't think of anything useful to do with their mandates, and religious professionals suffering from a personal inability to communicate with their god.”

“Myrmecophaga jubata: The anteater. The existence of this predator demonstrates that thinking 71 percent of the time, as ants do, won't prevent you from being eaten. Thinking less than that, as humans do, will almost guarantee it.”

Thinking Humans Existence Percent Guarantees Ants Predator Thinking Less

Author:John Ralston Saul

“Panic: A highly underrated capacity thanks to which individuals are able to indicate clearly that something is wrong. Given their head, most humans panic with great dignity and imagination. This can be called democratic expression or practical common sense.”

Humans Able Individual Given Imagination Common Expression Capacity Dignity Democratic Practicals Common Sense Thanks Panic Underrated

Book:The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

Source: The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

“It is the considered opinion of most members of our rational élites that, in any given difference of opinion with reality, reality is wrong.”

Reality Given Differences Opinion Members Rational Differences Of Opinion

Book:The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

Source: The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

“The recession is over." This phrase has been used twice a year since 1973 by government leaders throughout the West. Its meaning is unclear. See: Depression.”

Years Has Beens Government Used Leader West Phrases Recessions Unclear

Book:The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

Source: The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

“The transnational corporations and the money markets have declared the era of human-designed regulations over. Now the market must reign. Because few people in the business community are paid to think about phrases such as "Western civilization," they don't seem to realize that they are proposing the arbitrary denial of 2,500 years of human experience.”

“Content is an obstacle to the exercise of power.”

Exercise Obstacles

Author:John Ralston Saul

“After all, in both languages we were dealing in large measure not with English and French, but with Scots and Irish, Bretons and Normans ... There could be no more eloquent illustration of the colonial mind-set than a bunch of Celts and Vikings in a distant northern territory insulting each other as les Anglais and the French as if they were the descendants of the people who had subjected and ruined them.”

People Ifs Mind Language Bunch Territory Ruined Insulting Eloquent Illustration Descendants Vikings Mind Set Scots Celts

Author:John Ralston Saul

“Wisdom is at all times the least burdensome traveling pack.”

Wisdom All Time Packs

Author:William Camden