The Aristocrat’s Role

“To be an aristocrat is to be completely fearless. Not reckless, not self-destructive. You must face what comes. Address things as they are. Live life as you find it and make it what you want.”

“Know your place. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not, a ‘friend of the common man’. I’m not a friend of the common man, but I must be respectful of every man. Our difference is an accident of birth but we share a duty to be civilized without pretense.”

“You cannot care about the consequences of doing what is right. We suffered a lot because we didn’t do business with the Nazis, but we didn’t suffer as much as some people. And we can still walk with dignity, even if I have to work a few days a week now.”

“Our charge was once to keep order and set an example. Now the state keeps order. But someone still needs to set an example.”


5 thoughts on “The Aristocrat’s Role

  1. What was it one of your readers once said (?)

    Old Money: In Their Own Words
    Post on April 29, 2020 by Byron Tully

    “ I spoke with my father about it. He said, Socialize with your own kind. Advocate for mankind. Don’t apologize for either. “

  2. “One must always be respectful. Indifference to public opinion is an essentially aristocratic virtue; it is rarer than one might imagine.”

    From ‘A Life of Contrasts’ by Diana Mitford Mosley (her autobiography).

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