We live in a system that espouses merit, equality, and a level playing field, but exalts those with wealth, power, and celebrity, however gained.

~ Derrick A. Bell

Derrick A. Bell Democracy Equality Ethics Injustice Meritocracy Prosperity Social Justice Success Systematic Oppression

Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal (...). There is a tendency (...) for certain people to use this phrase out of context, to satisfy all conditions. The most ridiculous example I can think of is that the people who run public education promote the stupid and idle along with the industrious-because all men are created equal, educators will gravely tell you, the children left behind suffer terrible feelings of inferiority. We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe-some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they're born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies make better cakes than others-some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope of most men.

~ Harper Lee

Harper Lee Education Equality Meritocracy

As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

~ H.l. Mencken

H.l. Mencken Democracy Elite Elitism Elitist Meritocracy Politics Predictions Voter Voting

With a blade at your throat, a well-connected uncle or a wealthy mother could not save you. Only you could save yourself.

~ Natalia Marx

Natalia Marx Equality Fantasy Meritocracy Nepotism Warrior

A meritocracy is a system in which the people who are the luckiest in their health and genetic endowment; luckiest in terms of family support, encouragement, and, probably, income; luckiest in their educational and career opportunities; and luckiest in so many other ways difficult to enumerate — these are the folks who reap the largest rewards. The only way for even a putative meritocracy to hope to pass ethical muster, to be considered fair, is if those who are the luckiest in all of those respects also have the greatest responsibility to work hard, to contribute to the betterment of the world, and to share their luck with others.

~ Ben S. Bernanke

Ben S. Bernanke Giving Back Luck Meritocracy Rewards Society

People always knock what's new but I love the modern Internet, where cleverness is currency. Social media is a cleverness meritocracy. We're living in it.

~ Alexei Maxim Russell

Alexei Maxim Russell Clever Cleverness Currency Future Internet Internet Marketing Marketing Marketing Quotes Merit Meritocracy Modern Modern Life Modern Society Social Media

The average Harvard freshman in 1952 would have placed in the bottom 10 percent of the incoming class by 1960.

~ Charles Murray

Charles Murray Competition Culture Meritocracy Middle Class Stratification

Where the establishment emphasized humility, prudence, lineage, meritocracy celebrates ambition, achievement, brains&self-betterment

~ Christopher Hayes

Christopher Hayes Advancement Class Competition Culture Meritocracy Noblesse Oblige

Socialism is not a meritocracy. By definition it places increasingly confining restraints on those that succeed the most.

~ A.e. Samaan

A.e. Samaan Government Income Redistribution Libertarian Libertarianism Liberty Meritocracy Progressive Progressive Tax Progressivism Socialism Socialist Tax Taxation

If someone's deeds lower his position, his pedigree cannot elevate it.

~ Ali Ibn Abi Talib

Ali Ibn Abi Talib Justice Meritocracy Wisdom

And if an increasingly pluralistic America ever decides to commission a new motto, I’m open for business, because I’ve got a better one than E pluribus unum. Tu dormis, tu perdis . . . You snooze, you lose.

~ Paul Beatty

Paul Beatty America Meritocracy Satire

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.

~ Winston S. Churchill

Winston S. Churchill Democracy Elite Elitism Elitist Meritocracy Peasant Voter Voting

Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings.

~ Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe Achievement Meritocracy

The first commendment of hte post 1970s meritocracy can be sumed up as follows: Thou shall provide equality of opportunity to all, regardless of race, gender, or sexual oritentation, but worry not about equality of outcomes. But what we've seen time and time again is that the two aren't so neatly separated. If you don't concern yourself at all with equality fo outcomes, you will, over time, produce a system with horrendous inequality of opportunity. This is the paradox of meritocracy: It can only truly come to flower in a society that starts out with a relatively high degree of equality. So if you want meritocracy, work for equality. Because it is only in a society which values equality of actual outcomes, one that promotes the commonweal and social solidarity, that equal opportunity and earned mobility can flourish.

~ Christopher L. Hayes

Christopher L. Hayes Equality Inequality Meritocracy Social Solidarity

Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you? He answered, Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long time is that none of us has ever been permitted to think he is born a d'Anconia. We are expected to become one.

~ Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand Ability Aristocracy Birthright Meritocracy Nobility Talent

One of my greatest pleasures in writing has come from the thought that perhaps my work might annoy someone of comfortably pretentious position. Then comes the saddening realization that such people rarely read.

~ John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith Meritocracy Privilege Reading Stupidity

This myth of meritocracy and equal opportunities encourages individualism over collective action, because when people believe this myth, they obviously see no need for protest movements around particular classes or identities, such as the Women's Movement or the Civil Rights workplace, education or in their personal lives, they are more likely to blame themselves, rather than sexism, racism, class oppression or homophobia; concepts which in current society are often seen as out of date. This type of blame even applies to experiences of actual violence or harassment with too many people believing that it is their fault if they are sexually harassed in the workplace or at school, abused by a partner or are a victim of sexual violence. Our society encourages this view, and in turn, that keeps people isolated and alone, rather than providing them the opportunity to get involved in collective struggles against such common experiences.

~ Finn Mackay

Finn Mackay Equal Opportunity Feminisim Meritocracy Sexism

At its most basic, the logic of 'meritocracy' is ironclad: putting the most qualified, best equipped people into the positions of greates responsibility and import...But my central contention is that our near-religious fidelity to the meritocratic model comes with huge costs. We overestimate the advantages of meritocracy and underappreciate its costs, because we don't think hard enough about the consequences of the inequality it produces. As Americans, we take it as a given that unequal levels of achievement are natural, even desirable. Sociologist Jermole Karabel, whose work looks at elite formation, once said he 'didnt think any advanced democracy is as obsessed with equality of opportunity or as relatively unconcerned with equality of condition' as the United States. This is our central problem. And my proposed solution for correcting the excesses of our extreme version of meritocracy is quite simple: make America more equal

~ Christopher L. Hayes

Christopher L. Hayes Inequality Injustice Meritocracy

It is the curse of the competent―not to be called upon.

~ Robert Priest

Robert Priest Aphorism Competence Cynicism Meritocracy Micro Poetry Wit