Daily Inspiration Quote by Derek Bok

The line is a masterclass in institutional self-defense dressed up as modesty. Bok opens with a lawyerly feint: an almost comically overcautious concession ("I won't say there aren't any...") that sidesteps an absolute claim while still steering the listener toward the desired verdict. It sounds fair-minded, even empirical, but the grammar is doing PR work. By the time he lands on "to our great embarrassment", the problem has been reframed from elitism-as-structure to elitism-as-public-relations hiccup.

The subtext is clear: Harvard's brand is bigger than its worst stereotypes, and if arrogance appears, it's a personal flaw, not a house style. That move matters because the critique Harvard draws isn't usually about a few rude graduates; it's about how elite credentials function as social power - gatekeeping, signaling, and an implied hierarchy. Bok's sentence tries to quarantine that larger charge by isolating "superior attitude" as deviance, not default.

Contextually, this reads like the voice of a president (Bok led Harvard for two decades) who understands that prestige depends on moral legitimacy as much as academic output. He offers contrition ("our... embarrassment") without ceding ground on the institution's self-image. Even "the Harvard I know" is a rhetorical escape hatch: it asserts authority and intimacy while admitting that other Harvards may exist, just not one he will own.

It's not denial; it's damage control with Ivy League manners.