In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Erasmus, 1500
11
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is stoned to death.
—Joan D. Vinge, 1998
12
When an individual endeavors to lift himself above his fellows, he is dragged down by the
mass, either by means of ridicule or of calamity.
—Heinrich Heine, 1830
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
—Japanese proverb
If you stand tall, you’ll be shot at. If you stoop down, you’ll be stepped on.
—Jess Keating, 2014
13
When a man is down, everybody runs over him.
—German proverb
***
When people have no other tyrant, their own public opinion becomes one.
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1872
You may talk about the tyranny of Nero and Tiberias, but the real tyranny is the tyranny of
your next-door neighbor.
—Walter Bagehot, 1889
Tyranny and despotism can be exercised by many - more rigorously, and more severely,
than by one.
—Andrew Johnson, 1866
Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called.
—John Stuart Mill, 1859
The crowd plays the tyrant, when it is not in fear.
—Baruch Spinoza, 1677
Public is a ferocious beast: one must chain it up or flee from it.
—Voltaire, 1748
Public opinion, because of the tremendous urge to conformity in gregarious animals, is less
tolerant than any system of laws.
—George Orwell, 1946
11
This is a shorter paraphrase of a maxim from Genesis Rabbah, circa the 4th or 5th century BC.
12
This aphorism may serve as a summary of a (wonderful) much earlier story by H. G. Wells.
13
I have seen a similar quote attributed to some Carlos A. Urbizo, without a date, but could not
confirm his authorship or even identify this person.
On Society and Solitude, Liberty and Civilization
151
Erasmus, 1500
11
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is stoned to death.
—Joan D. Vinge, 1998
12
When an individual endeavors to lift himself above his fellows, he is dragged down by the
mass, either by means of ridicule or of calamity.
—Heinrich Heine, 1830
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
—Japanese proverb
If you stand tall, you’ll be shot at. If you stoop down, you’ll be stepped on.
—Jess Keating, 2014
13
When a man is down, everybody runs over him.
—German proverb
***
When people have no other tyrant, their own public opinion becomes one.
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1872
You may talk about the tyranny of Nero and Tiberias, but the real tyranny is the tyranny of
your next-door neighbor.
—Walter Bagehot, 1889
Tyranny and despotism can be exercised by many - more rigorously, and more severely,
than by one.
—Andrew Johnson, 1866
Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called.
—John Stuart Mill, 1859
The crowd plays the tyrant, when it is not in fear.
—Baruch Spinoza, 1677
Public is a ferocious beast: one must chain it up or flee from it.
—Voltaire, 1748
Public opinion, because of the tremendous urge to conformity in gregarious animals, is less
tolerant than any system of laws.
—George Orwell, 1946
11
This is a shorter paraphrase of a maxim from Genesis Rabbah, circa the 4th or 5th century BC.
12
This aphorism may serve as a summary of a (wonderful) much earlier story by H. G. Wells.
13
I have seen a similar quote attributed to some Carlos A. Urbizo, without a date, but could not
confirm his authorship or even identify this person.
On Society and Solitude, Liberty and Civilization
151