High culture can never be obliterated as long as the species continues to produce individuals with the inclination and fortitude to pursue their interests and talents against the grain of the mass culture surrounding them.

Susan Jacoby
About This Quote

High culture can never be obliterated as long as the species continues to produce individuals with the inclination and fortitude to pursue their interests and talents against the grain of the mass culture surrounding them. “High culture” is a term we often use to describe art, literature, and other intellectual pursuits. These are the things that we value for their own sake. They provide us with a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives.

When we talk about high culture, we mean the things that make us feel good about ourselves, that bring us fulfillment and happiness. We mean something that makes us better people, more cultured than the rest of society.

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  1. This mindless tolerance, which places observable scientific facts, subject to proof, on the same level as unprovable supernatural fantasy, has played a major role in the resurgence of both anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism.
  2. High culture can never be obliterated as long as the species continues to produce individuals with the inclination and fortitude to pursue their interests and talents against the grain of the mass culture surrounding them.
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