Irving Babbitt quotes

Irving Babbitt, a prominent figure in American literary criticism and philosophy, left an indelible mark on intellectual discourse in the early 20th century. With his profound insights and meticulous analysis, Babbitt explored themes like humanism, cultural decadence, and the importance of classical education. His contributions to literary theory, particularly his concept of "spiritual humanism," continue to resonate with scholars and readers alike. Born in 1865, Babbitt obtained his education at prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, where he later became a respected professor. His influential book, "Rousseau and Romanticism" (1919), critically examined the Romantic movement and its impact on society, emphasizing the dangers of unchecked individualism. Babbitt argued in favor of a more disciplined and timeless humanism, rooted in classical ideals and moral principles. Babbitt's eloquent writings and philosophical viewpoints garnered wide attention, shaping the public intellectuals of his time. His ideas inspired a movement known as the New Humanism, which sought to revive classical thought and values amid the rise of materialism and mass consumerism. Focusing on the importance of virtue, cultural heritage, and critical thinking, Babbitt advocated for a balanced approach to life and art. Even today, Babbitt's theories remain relevant and influential, inspiring discussions on morality, education, and the impact of cultural decadence. Scholars and enthusiasts of literary criticism continue to delve into his works, examining his insights on topics like tradition, individualism, and the artist's role in society. Understanding Babbitt's intellectual legacy allows us to navigate contemporary challenges with a strong foundation in timeless wisdom and values.

Furthermore, America suffers not only from a lack of standards, but also not infrequently from a confusion or an inversion of standards.

- Irving Babbitt

An American of the present day reading his Sunday newspaper in a state of lazy collapse is one of the most perfect symbols of the triumph of quantity over quality that the world has yet seen.

- Irving Babbitt

The true humanist maintains a just balance between sympathy and selection.

- Irving Babbitt

The democratic idealist is prone to make light of the whole question of standards and leadership because of his unbounded faith in the plain people.

- Irving Babbitt

The humanitarian would, of course, have us meddle in foreign affairs as part of his program of world service.

- Irving Babbitt

We may affirm, then, that the main drift of the later Renaissance was away from a humanism that favored a free expansion toward a humanism that was in the highest degree disciplinary and selective.

- Irving Babbitt

The papacy again, representing the traditional unity of European civilization, has also shown itself unable to limit effectively the push of nationalism.

- Irving Babbitt

To say that most of us today are purely expansive is only another way of saying that most of us continue to be more concerned with the quantity than with the quality of our democracy.

- Irving Babbitt

Very few of the early Italian humanists were really humane.

- Irving Babbitt

A remarkable feature of the humanitarian movement, on both its sentimental and utilitarian sides, has been its preoccupation with the lot of the masses.

- Irving Babbitt

The human mind, if it is to keep its sanity, must maintain the nicest balance between unity and plurality.

- Irving Babbitt

If a man went simply by what he saw, he might be tempted to affirm that the essence of democracy is melodrama.

- Irving Babbitt

Robespierre, however, was not the type of leader finally destined to emerge from the Revolution.

- Irving Babbitt

Yet Aristotle's excellence of substance, so far from being associated with the grand style, is associated with something that at times comes perilously near jargon.

- Irving Babbitt

Inasmuch as society cannot go on without discipline of some kind, men were constrained, in the absence of any other form of discipline, to turn to discipline of the military type.

- Irving Babbitt

The industrial revolution has tended to produce everywhere great urban masses that seem to be increasingly careless of ethical standards.

- Irving Babbitt

Anyone who thus looks up has some chance of becoming worthy to be looked up to in turn.

- Irving Babbitt

The humanitarian lays stress almost solely upon breadth of knowledge and sympathy.

- Irving Babbitt

We must not, however, be like the leaders of the great romantic revolt who, in their eagerness to get rid of the husk of convention, disregarded also the humane aspiration.

- Irving Babbitt

A democracy, the realistic observer is forced to conclude, is likely to be idealistic in its feelings about itself, but imperialistic about its practice.

- Irving Babbitt

A man needs to look, not down, but up to standards set so much above his ordinary self as to make him feel that he is himself spiritually the underdog.

- Irving Babbitt

Democracy is now going forth on a crusade against imperialism.

- Irving Babbitt

To harmonize the One with the Many, this is indeed a difficult adjustment, perhaps the most difficult of all, and so important, withal, that nations have perished from their failure to achieve it.

- Irving Babbitt

Perhaps as good a classification as any of the main types is that of the three lusts distinguished by traditional Christianity - the lust of knowledge, the lust of sensation, and the lust of power.

- Irving Babbitt

If quantitatively the American achievement is impressive, qualitatively it is somewhat less satisfying.

- Irving Babbitt

A person who has sympathy for mankind in the lump, faith in its future progress, and desire to serve the great cause of this progress, should be called not a humanist, but a humanitarian, and his creed may be designated as humanitarianism.

- Irving Babbitt

Since every man desires happiness, it is evidently no small matter whether he conceives of happiness in terms of work or of enjoyment.

- Irving Babbitt

The ultimate binding element in the medieval order was subordination to the divine will and its earthly representatives, notably the pope.

- Irving Babbitt

Act strenuously, would appear to be our faith, and right thinking will take care of itself.

- Irving Babbitt

The humanities need to be defended today against the encroachments of physical science, as they once needed to be against the encroachment of theology.

- Irving Babbitt