Books were safer than other people anyway. Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Of course I loved books more than people. Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale
The whole philosophy of modern times is to dissolve distinctions between individuals and deal with them as large collections of people. It’s essentially self-interested on the part of authority. Tom Stoppard
You never know about people. The Sopranos s5e13: All Due Respect s5e13 starring James Gandolfini & Lorriane Bracco & Edie Falco & Michael Imperioli & Dominic Chianese & Steven van Zandt & Tony Sirico & Robert Iler et al, Tony to Carmela
I can’t stand people. I hate them. Barfly 1987 starring Mickey Rourke & Faye Dunaway & Alice Krige & J C Quinn & Frank Stallone & Jack Nance & Sandy Martin et al, director Barbet Schroeder, Wanda
This wasn’t a good job for me. I found it hard being so close to other people. And the more I was around them the less I felt part of their world. Piggy 2012 starring Paul Anderson & Martin Compston Ed Skrein & Josh Herdman & Neil Maskell & Louise Dylan & Susan Fordham & Roland Manookian & Ryan Winsley & Nick Donald et al, director Kieron Hawkes
There are so many of us. So many. There is no place ... no street, no house, no garden, no beach, no mountain that is not filled with people. Each one of us would kill in order to find a place alone to himself. They would willingly die for it ... if they could. Star Trek s3e16: The Mark of Gideon, Odona
People may not be what they seem; it’s dangerous. Sanjuro 1962 starring Toshiro Mifune & Tatsuya Nakadai & Yuzo Kayama & Takako Irie & Reiko Dan & Takashi Shimura et al, director Akira Kurosawa, Sanjuro
For, besides what has been said, it should be borne in mind that the temper of the multitude is fickle, and that while it is easy to persuade them of a thing, it is hard to fix them in that persuasion. Wherefore, matters should be so ordered that when men no longer believe of their own accord, they may be compelled to believe by force. Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince chIII
[The ruling elites] know who their enemies are, and their enemies are the people, the people at home and the people abroad. Their enemies are anybody who wants more social justice, anybody who wants to use the surplus value of society for social needs rather than for individual class greed, that’s their enemy. Michael Parenti
How wonder. How many goodly creatures are there here? How beauteous mankind is. Oh brave new world that has such people in ’t! The Tempest 2010 starring Helen Mirren & Felicity Jones & Chris Cooper & Russell Brand & Reeve Carney & Tom Conti & Alan Cumming & Dimon Hounsou & Alfred Molina & Ben Whishaw et al, director Julie Taymor, Miranda
... for I myself am best
When least in company. William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night I iv 37
Democracy is the name we give the people whenever we need them. Robert de Flers and Arman de Caillavet, L’habit Vert 1913
The city’s full of people who you just see around. Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms
The Earth can accommodate so much consumption, and you might have ten billion people at one level of living, and a billion people at a more comfortable level of living. So carrying capacity is a very flexible idea – you simply divide the total productivity of the Earth by the number of people and that gives you some idea of the number of people the Earth can support. Professor William Rees
Emphasizing the crowd means de-emphasizing individual humans in the design of society, and when you ask people not to be people, they revert to bad, mob-like behaviours. Jaron Lanier, You Are Not a Gadget
The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people. Cesar Chavez
We’ll go on for ever, Pa. ’Cause we’re the people. The Grapes of Wrath 1940 starring Henry Fonda & Jane Darwell & Charley Grapewin & Dorris Bowdon & John Carradine & Russell Simpson & O Z Whitehead & John Qualen & Eddie Quillan & Zefie Tilbury et al, director John Ford
You never know about people. The Sopranos s5e13: All Due Respect, Tony to Carmela, HBO 1999
All the power is in the people to the extent that the government becomes alienated from the people, does things that people don’t want, the power is transferred till you finally come to a police state ... where the desires of the people really have no consequence. They go out and they vote, doesn’t make any difference which candidate they elect. Edwin Vieira, cited America: Freedom to Fascism
Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people. Oscar Wilde
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. E B White, New Yorker 3rd July 1944