p. 271 (as quoted from Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, The Menace of the Herd (1943), p. 324, note 11)
“

The democratic creed does not take account of the constitution of our body and of our consciousness. It does not apply to the concrete fact which the individual is. Indeed, human beings are equal. But individuals are not. The equality of their right is an illusion. The feeble-minded and the man of genius should not be equal before the law. The stupid, the unintelligent, those who are dispersed, incapable of attention, of effort, have no right to a higher education. It is absurd to give them the same electoral power as the fully developed individuals. Sexes are not equal. To disregard all their inequalities is dangerous. The democratic principle has contributed to the collapse of civilization in opposing the development of an elite.

— Alexis Carrel

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The democratic creed does not take account of the constitution of our body and of our consciousness. It does not apply to the concrete fact which the individual is. Indeed, human beings are equal. But individuals are not. The equality of their right is an illusion. The feeble-minded and the man of genius should not be equal before the law. The stupid, the unintelligent, those who are dispersed, incapable of attention, of effort, have no right to a higher education. It is absurd to give them the same electoral power as the fully developed individuals. Sexes are not equal. To disregard all their inequalities is dangerous. The democratic principle has contributed to the collapse of civilization in opposing the development of an elite." in the context of "p. 271 (as quoted from Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, The Menace of the Herd (1943), p. 324, note 11)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Alexis Carrel" (Quotes, Man, The Unknown (1935): Full text available) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Alexis Carrel

About Alexis Carrel

Alexis Carrel (28 June 1873 – 5 November 1944) was a French surgeon and biologist suchas leading eugenicist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1912.