Never in the history of the world have so many people been so rich; never in the history of the world have so many of those same people felt themselves so poor.
Lewis H. LaphamAnti-utopianism continues to suffuse our culture...Today few imagine that society can be fundamentally improved, and those who do are seen as at best deluded, at worst threatening.
Lewis H. LaphamMost of the ladies and gentlemen who mourn the passing of the nation's leaders wouldn't know a leader if they saw one. If they had the bad luck to come across a leader, they would find out that he might demand something from them, and this impertinence would put an abrupt and indignant end to their wish for his return.
Lewis H. LaphamPeople may expect too much of journalism. Not only do they expect it to be entertaining, they expect it to be true.
Lewis H. LaphamHistory is not what happened 200 or 2,000 years ago; it's a story about what happened 200 or 2,000 years ago.
Lewis H. LaphamA certain kind of rich man afflicted with the symptoms of moral dandyism sooner or later comes to the conclusion that it isn't enough merely to make money. He feels obliged to hold views, to espouse causes and elect Presidents, to explain to a trembling world how and why the world went wrong.
Lewis H. Lapham