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The conclusion drawn by ... most of our elites ... is that the population constitutes a deep and dangerous well of ignorance and irrationality; if our civilization is in crisis the fault must lie with the populace which is not rising to the inescapable challenges. And yet civilizations do not collapse because the citizenry are corrupt or lazy or anti-intellectual. These people do not have the power and influence to either lead or destroy. Civilizations collapse when those who have power fail to do their jobs.

John Ralston Saul#22

SocietyPowerLeadershipAccountabilityCivilizationFailure

About this quote

What does it mean?
Civilizations fail due to leadership failure, not citizen corruption.
In plain terms
Leaders cause collapse, not the general public.
What can you take from it?
Hold leaders accountable for systemic failures.

Where it applies

  • political discourse
  • voter education
  • critique of elites

Putting it to work

  • demand leadership accountability
  • critique power structures

Questions to consider

  • Who holds power in your community?
  • How do leaders fail their duties?

Another view

Citizens do influence leaders through elections and protests.

More from John Ralston Saul

  1. Societies either roll on blindly to disaster or they find the inner strength to stop themselves long enough to find ways for reform from within.

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  2. In helping the arms industry to work with the Pentagon to work with the security agencies to work with the oil industry to work with the environmental agencies…

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  3. There is little to envy in the woman's position either. For perhaps the first time in history, she has a general sense of herself as an individual apart from m…

    Permalink to quote #20

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