quote · Legacy record
What kind of men, then, does our society need? What is the "social character" suited to twentieth century Capitalism? It needs men who co-operate smoothly in large groups; who want to consume more and more, and whose tasks are standardized and can easily be influenced and anticipated. It needs men who feel free and independent, not subject to any authority, or principle, or conscience - yet willing to be commanded, to do what is expected, to fit into the social machine without friction.
What kind of men, then, does our society need? What is the "social character" suited to twentieth century Capitalism? It needs men who co-operate smoothly in large groups; who want to consume more and more, and whose tasks are standardized and can easily be influenced and anticipated. It needs men who feel free and independent, not subject to any authority, or principle, or conscience - yet willing to be commanded, to do what is expected, to fit into the social machine without friction.
Approximate author period: c. 1940 AD · modern
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- Author or tradition
- Erich Fromm
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
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- Approximate author period: c. 1940 AD · modern
Approximate author-period anchor from life dates 1900 to 1980; Wikidata Q57085, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57085 (accessed 2026-10-08). Not a quotation composition date.
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 310357; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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