“There is a limited elite that understands the secrets of their own techniques, but not necessarily of all techniques. These men are close to the seat of modern governmental power. The state is no longer founded on the 'average citizen', but on the ability and knowledge of this elite. The average man is altogether unable to penetrate technical secrets or governmental organization and consequently can exert no influence at all on the state.” MenStatesAbilitySecretInfluenceModernCitizensOrganizationAverageTechniqueSeatsElitesPenetrateAverage ManMental Power Author:Jacques Ellul
“It is customary for columnists to complain about the excesses of Premiership footballers, whenever - as happens regularly - there is an incident involving some combination of sex, drugs, drink, violence and the constabulary. But modern footballers have a lot of both money and disposable time, a combination that has proved a recipe for personal disaster throughout history. And these incidents take place generally round night clubs rather than football clubs. The average Premiership player who turned up for work drunk would have a career-expectancy measurable in minutes.” HappensNightSexCareersPlayerViolenceModernMinutesFootballDrinkDrugRoundsAverageClubsComplainingDisasterDrunkSoccerCombinationAnalysisExcessRecipesIncidentsInvolvingFootballerDisposableColumnistsExpectancyFootball ClubsNight ClubSex Drugs Author:Matthew Engel
“anybody who has anything abusive to say of women, whether ancient or modern, can command a vast public in the popular press and a ready agreement from the average publisher.” ModernReadyPressesAncientAverageCommandAgreementPublishersAbusive Author:Dora Russell
“The average attention span of the modern human being is about half as long as whatever youre trying to tell them.” TryingHumansLongHuman BeingsAttentionHalfModernAverageAttention Span Author:Meg Rosoff
“As the horsepower in modern automobiles steadily rises, the congestion of traffic steadily lowers the average possible speed of your car. This is known as Progress.” KnownProgressModernCarAverageSpeedTrafficModern LifeAutomobileCongestionHorsepower Author:Sydney J. Harris
“Today the average inhabitant of the western hemisphere knows a little of everything. He has the newspaper on his breakfast table and wireless within reach. For the evening there is the film, cards, or a meeting to complete a day spent in the office or factory where nothing that is essential has been learnt. With slight variation this picture of a low cultural average holds good over the entire range from factory-hand of clerk to manager or director. Only the personal will to culture, in whatever field and however pursued raises modern man above this level.” KnowsMenLittlesHas BeensHandsTodayFilmCultureLevelsModernFieldsDirectorsEssentialsOfficeLowsRaisesTablesMeetingsWesternAverageNewspapersCardsEveningManagersRangeBreakfastFactoriesPursuedVariationClerksWirelessModern ManHemisphereWithin Reach Author:Johan Huizinga
“The economic system that the United States has is an evil empire. It's an economic system that's not fair, not just, and it's not democratic. And it will fall just like communism fell. The richest 1 percent now own 50 percent of the wealth. It didn't use to be that way. The average CEO 20 years ago made 20 times as much as the average employee. Now they make 212 times as much.” WorldWayYearsMadeStatesUseAmericaFallEvilWealthUnitedUnited StatesEconomicModernPercentFairsYears AgoDemocraticAverageCommunismEmployeeEmpiresCeoModern WorldEconomic SystemsNot FairUse To Be Author:Michael Moore
“Edison failed ten thousand times before he perfected the modern electric lamp. The average man would have quit at the first failure. That's why there are so many average men and only one Edison.” MenFirstsModernThousandTenAverageQuittingElectricLampsAverage Man Author:Pete Seeger
“We are more gullible and superstitious today than we were in the Middle Ages, and an example of modern credulity is the widespread belief that the Earth is round. The average man can advance not a single reason for thinking that the Earth is round. He merely swallows this theory because there is something about it that appeals to the twentieth century mentality.” ThinkingMenReasonAgeTodayEarthBeliefModernMiddleCenturyExampleTheoryRoundsAverageAppealsMentalityMiddle AgesTwentieth CenturySuperstitiousCredulityAverage ManGullibleRound Earth Author:George Bernard Shaw