'I was told,' continued Egremont, 'that an impassable gulf divided the Rich from the Poor; I was told that the Privileged and the People formed Two Nations, governed by different laws, influenced by different manners, with no thoughts or sympathies in common; with an innate inability of mutual comprehension.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- There was a perceived deep division between social classes with no shared understanding.
- In plain terms
- Rich and poor felt like different nations.
- What can you take from it?
- Class divides can prevent empathy.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do you see class divides today?
- How can empathy cross class lines?
Another view
Shared experiences often exist despite class differences.
More from Benjamin Disraeli
Mr. Kremlin himself was distinguished for ignorance, for he had only one idea, and that was wrong.
Permalink to quote #142 There is no wisdom like frankness.
Permalink to quote #144 We all of us live too much in a circle.
Permalink to quote #141
Related quotes
The very mudsills of society:. We call them slaves:. But I will not characterize that class at the North with that term; but you have it. It is there, it is ev…
James Henry HammondJames Henry Hammond quote #1 For my own part, I had rather suffer any inconvenience from having to work occasionally in chambers and kitchen ... than witness the subservience in which the …
Harriet MartineauHarriet Martineau quote #2 Mankind is divided into rich and poor, into property owners and exploited; and to abstract oneself from this fundamental division; and from the antagonism betw…
Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin quote #14