“Idealists, I know, are dangerous, but the claim of the ideal (Ibsen) has to be felt or else…. Or else the world, our deteriorating world, will continue on its course by sheer inertia. Inertia is taking over, right here; you can sense it.”

From Sophie Weil's diary in "Envoi"
Cannibals and Missionaries (1979)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Idealists, I know, are dangerous, but the claim of the ideal (Ibsen) has to be felt or else…. Or else the world, our de…" by Mary McCarthy?
Mary McCarthy photo
Mary McCarthy 79
American writer 1912–1989

Related quotes

Theodor W. Adorno photo

“Triviality is evil - triviality, that is, in the form of consciousness and mind that adapts itself to the world as it is, that obeys the principle of inertia. And this principle of inertia truly is what is radically evil.”

Theodor W. Adorno (1903–1969) German sociologist, philosopher and musicologist known for his critical theory of society

Source: Metaphysics: Concept and Problems

Tony Blair photo

“Ideals survive through change. They die through inertia in the face of challenge.”

Tony Blair (1953) former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

European Parliament debates http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+CRE+20050623+ITEM-004+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN&query=INTERV&detail=4-010
Speech to the European Parliament outlining the priorities of the British Presidency, 23 June 2005.
2000s

David Ben-Gurion photo

“The most dangerous enemy to Israel’s security is the intellectual inertia of those who are responsible for security.”

David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973) Israeli politician, Zionist leader, prime minister of Israel

Quoted in Supreme Command : Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime (2002) by Eliot A. Cohen, p. 172

David Baddiel photo
Harlan Ellison photo
Julia Quinn photo

“It's only through sheer force and luck that she's yet to take over the world.”

Julia Quinn (1970) American novelist

Source: Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The Epilogue II

Frank Wilczek photo
Richard Bach photo

“I’m here not because I am supposed to be here, or because I’m trapped here, but because I’d rather be with you than anywhere else in the world.”

Richard Bach (1936) American spiritual writer

Source: The Bridge Across Forever: A True Love Story

Haruki Murakami photo
Eduardo Torroja photo

Related topics