Tzvetan Todorov quotes

Tzvetan Todorov was a Bulgarian-French philosopher, literary critic, and historian. His influential work explored themes such as structuralism, culture, and the nature of evil. He made significant contributions to literary theory and cultural studies. Here are 10 of his quotes:

Nothing is more commonplace than the reading experience, and yet nothing is more unknown. Reading is such a matter of course that at first glance it seems there is nothing to say about it. (Tzvetan Todorov)
For evil to take place, the acts of a few people are not sufficient; the great majority also has to remain indifferent. That is something of which we are all quite capable. View quote
Tzvetan Todorov
People who believe themselves to be the incarnation of good have a distorted view of the world. View quote
Tzvetan Todorov
We should not be simply fighting evil in the name of good, but struggling against the certainties of people who claim always to know where good and evil are to be found. View quote
Tzvetan Todorov
American society has always exercised a stronger pressure on individual behavior than Western European societies; but in time of war this pressure is notched a few degrees, and starts to become quite alarming. View quote
Tzvetan Todorov
Pride is not a wise counselor. People who believe themselves to be the incarnation of good have a distorted view of the world. The absence of any obstacle to the deployment of strength is dangerous for the strong themselves: passion takes precedence over reason. "No power without limit can be legitimate," as Montesquieu wrote long ago. Political wisdom does not consist in seeking only immediate victory, nor does it require systematic preference of "us" over "them." View quote
Tzvetan Todorov
A maxim for the twenty-first century might well be to start not by fighting evil in the name of good, but by attacking the certainties of people who claim always to know where good and evil are to be found. We should struggle not against the devil himself but what allows the devil to live - Manichaean thinking itself. View quote
Tzvetan Todorov
The fear of barbarians is what risks making us barbarians. View quote
Tzvetan Todorov
Democracy brought to others through the barrel of a gun is not democracy. View quote
Tzvetan Todorov
Democracy brought to others through the barrel of a gun is not democracy; to impose it by force is to undermine it. View quote
Tzvetan Todorov