An Enemy of the People

By Henrik Ibsen QUOTATION: The worst enemy of truth and freedom in our society is the compact majority. Yes, the damned, compact, liberal majority.
ATTRIBUTION: Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), Norwegian dramatist. Dr. Stockmann, in An Enemy of the People, act 4.

QUOTATION: I’m plotting revolution against this lie that the majority has a monopoly of the truth. What are these truths that always bring the majority rallying round? Truths so elderly they are practically senile. And when a truth is as old as that, gentlemen, you can hardly tell it from a lie.
ATTRIBUTION: Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), Norwegian dramatist. Dr. Stockmann, in An Enemy of the People, act 4.

QUOTATION: The thing is, you see, that the strongest man in the world is the man who stands alone.
ATTRIBUTION: Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), Norwegian dramatist. Dr. Stockmann, in An Enemy of the People, act 5 (1882).

QUOTATION: You should never have your best trousers on when you turn out to fight for freedom and truth.
ATTRIBUTION: Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), Norwegian dramatist. Mrs. Stockmann, in An Enemy of the People, act 5 (1882).

QUOTATION: The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That’s one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help rebelling against. Who are the people that make up the biggest proportion of the population—the intelligent ones or the fools? I think we can agree it’s the fools, no matter where you go in this world, it’s the fools that form the overwhelming majority.
ATTRIBUTION: Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), Norwegian dramatist. Dr. Stockmann, in An Enemy of the People, act 4 (1882).