"Ninety-nine per cent of the people in the world are fools and the rest of us are in great danger of contagion"

In this quote, Thornton Wilder is making a vibrant declaration about the state of humanity. By stating that ninety-nine per cent of individuals are fools, he is suggesting that most of people do not have intelligence or wisdom. This could be seen as a severe and cynical view of the world. However, Wilder also recommends that the remaining one per cent, who are not fools, are in threat of being influenced or infected by the absurdity of the bulk. This might be analyzed as an alerting to remain vigilant and not be swayed by the absurd actions of others. Overall, Wilder's quote highlights the possible threats of blindly following the crowd and the value of critical thinking.