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Quote by Lionel Trilling

Work

Freud and the Crisis of Our Culture. (2. Print.)

The book delves into the influence of Freud's psychological theories on modern thought, examining how they have shaped our understanding of human behavior and societal norms. more

Author

Lionel Trilling
Lionel Trilling

Lionel Trilling was an influential American literary critic and writer, born on July 4, 1905, and died on November 5, 1975. He was a significant figure in 20th-century American literary criticism, known for his profound thought and sharp insights. more

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“Economic man and the Calvinist Christian sing to each other like voices in a fugue. The Calvinist stands alone before an almost merciless God; no human agency can help him; his church is a means to political and social organization rather than a bridge to deity, for no priest can have greater knowledge of the divine way than he himself; no friend can console him - in fact, he should distrust all men; in the same fashion, Economic Man faces a merciless world alone and unaided, his hand against every other's.”

MenWorldWayShouldHumansMeanFactsHelpingHandsChristianFacesPoliticalSocialVoiceChurchGreaterEconomicFashionDivineOrganizationBridgesAgencyPriestsDistrustDeitiesConsoleStand AloneNo FriendsSocial OrganizationFugue
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“The definitions of humanism are many, but let us here take it to be the attitude of those men who think it an advantage to live in society, and, at that, in a complex and highly developed society, and who believe that man fulfills his nature and reaches his proper stature in this circumstance. The personal virtues which humanism cherishes are intelligence, amenity, and tolerance; the particular courage it asks for is that which is exercised in the support of these virtues. The qualities of intelligence which it chiefly prizes are modulation and flexibility.”

ThinkingMenBelieveAsksAttitudeQualitySupportVirtueParticularCircumstancesAdvantageComplexesHumanismDefinitionsTolerancePrizeCherishFlexibilityStatureAmenities
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“Disgust is expressed by violence, and it is to be noted of our intellectual temper that violence is a quality which is felt to have a peculiarly intellectual sanction. Our preference, even as articulated by those who are most mild in their persons, is increasingly for the absolute and extreme, of which we feel violence to be the true sign. The gentlest of us will know that the tigers of wrath are to be preferred to the horses of instruction and will consider it intellectual cowardice to take into account what happens to those who ride tigers.”

KnowsFeelsPersonsHappensFeltQualityViolenceIntellectualAccountsHorseAbsolutesExtremesTemperInstructionCowardiceDisgustingTigersPreferenceWrathSanctions
Author:Lionel Trilling
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