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Scratch a pessimist and you find often a defender of privilege.

— William Beveridge

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More quotes by William Beveridge

The state is or can be master of money, but in a free society it is master of very little else.

Voluntary Action (1948)

The object of government in peace and in war is not the glory of rulers or of races, but the happiness of the common man.

Social Insurance and Allied Services (1942)

A revolutionary moment in the world’s history is a time for revolutions, not for patching.

Social Insurance and Allied Services (1942)

Ignorance is an evil weed, which dictators may cultivate among their dupes, but which no democracy can afford among its citizens.

Full Employment in a Free Society (1944)

The trouble in modern democracy is that men do not approach to leadership 'til they have lost the desire to lead anyone.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: William Beveridge (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.