August 29, 2005
-
E.M. Forster by Roger Fry, 1911
I believe in aristocracy, though- if that is the right
word; and if a democrat may use it. Not an aristocracy of
power; based upon rank and influence, but an aristocracy
of the sensitive, the considerate and plucky. Its mem-
bers are to be found in all nations and classes, and all
through the ages; and there is a secret understanding be-
tween them when they meet. They represent the true
human tradition, the one permanent victory of our queer
race over cruelty and chaos. Thousands of them perish in
obscurity, a few are great names. They are sensitive for
others as well as for themselves, they are considerate
with-
out being fussy, their pluck is not swankiness but the
power to endure, and they can take a joke.
E.M. Forster. Two Cheers for Democracy
