Talk:The Masses Are Asses

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[edit] Source of the phrase

From the massline: According to Laurence J. Peter, Peter's Quotations (NY: Bantam, 1979) p. 395, what Alexander Hamilton (d. 1804) really said was "the people—that great beast!", which is similar, but not exactly the same. Even earlier, Alexander Pope (d. 1744) said "The people are a many-headed beast" (Imitations of Horace, I. i.) --Blainster 12:02, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

The general sentiment is often traced to Plato (and sometimes the quote is misattributed to him as well). --Delirium 21:57, 15 November 2007 (UTC)