“We like to stress the commonness of heroes. Essences seem undemocratic. We feel oppressed by the call to greatness. We regard an interest in glory or perfection as a sign of mental unhealthiness, and have decided that high achievers, who are called overachievers, owe their surplus ambition to a defect in mothering (either too little or too much). We want to admire but think we have a right not to be intimidated. We dislike feeling inferior to an ideal. So away with ideals, with essences. The only ideals allowed are healthy ones -- those everyone may aspire to, or comfortably imagine oneself possessing.”

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About Susan Sontag

American intellectual and writer of the late 20th century, Susan Sontag was a philosopher and critic whose work explored the intersections of art, politics, and culture. She is best known for her essays on aesthetics, morality, and the role of the intellectual in society, as well as her influential novels and screenplays.

More from Susan Sontag (146 quotes) →
"We like to stress the commonness of heroes. Essences seem undemocrati…" — Susan Sontag | Daily Quotes