Famous quote by William Graham Sumner

Mobile Desktop
A drunkard in the gutter is just where he ought to be, according to the fitness and tendency of things.
Like

"A drunkard in the gutter is just where he ought to be, according to the fitness and tendency of things. Nature has set upon him the process of decline and dissolution by which she removes things which have survived their usefulness"

- William Graham Sumner

About this Quote

This quote by William Graham Sumner recommends that there is a natural order to the world, and that everyone has a place in it. He implies that those who have actually ended up being alcoholics and have ended up in the gutter are there for a factor. He believes that Nature has a method of getting rid of things that have actually outlived their effectiveness, and that the alcoholic in the seamless gutter is an example of this. He suggests that this is the natural order of things, and that it is where the alcoholic ought to be. Sumner's quote suggests that there is a certain level of acceptance that should be provided to those who have actually wound up in the seamless gutter, as it becomes part of the natural process of decrease and dissolution.

About the Author

USA Flag This quote is written / told by William Graham Sumner. He/she was a famous Businessman from USA. The author also have 30 other quotes.

Go to author profile

Similar Quotes

Small: The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease - Voltaire
Voltaire
"The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease"
Voltaire, Writer
Small: Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore? - Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher
"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"
Henry Ward Beecher, Clergyman
Small: We cannot command Nature except by obeying her - Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
"We cannot command Nature except by obeying her"
Francis Bacon, Philosopher
Small: The sound of the human voice is the best of nature but only if it comes out from the feelings - Giovanni Moras
Giovanni Morassutti
"The sound of the human voice is the best of nature but only if it comes out from the feelings"
Giovanni Morassutti, Actor
Small: He loves nature in spite of what it did to him - Forrest Tucker
"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him"
Forrest Tucker, Actor
Small: Nature and wisdom never are at strife - Plutarch
Plutarch
"Nature and wisdom never are at strife"
Plutarch, Philosopher
Small: There are more men ennobled by study than by nature - Cicero
Cicero
"There are more men ennobled by study than by nature"
Cicero, Philosopher
Small: Art is not merely an imitation of the reality of nature, but in truth a metaphysical supplement to the reality
Friedrich Nietzsche
"Art is not merely an imitation of the reality of nature, but in truth a metaphysical supplement to the reality of nature, placed alongside thereof for its conquest"
Friedrich Nietzsche, Philosopher
Small: Though nature be ever so generous, yet can she not make a hero alone. Fortune must contribute her part too and
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
"Though nature be ever so generous, yet can she not make a hero alone. Fortune must contribute her part too; and till both concur, the work cannot be perfected"
Francois de La Rochefoucauld, Writer
Small: He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature - Socrates
Socrates
"He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature"
Socrates, Philosopher