Who said “Our society distributes itself into Barbarians, Philistines and Populace; and America is…”?

Verified

Matthew Arnold. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceCulture and Anarchy (1869), Preface

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

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“Our society distributes itself into Barbarians, Philistines and Populace; and America is just ourselves with the Barbarians quite left out, and the Populace nearly.”
VerifiedCulture and Anarchy (1869), Preface · evidenceAmerica

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Culture and Anarchy (1869), Preface.

APA

Arnold, M. (n.d.). Our society distributes itself into Barbarians, Philistines and Populace; and America is just ourselves with the Barbarians quite left out, and the Populace nearly. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6224-our-society-distributes-itself-into-barbarians-philistines/

MLA

Arnold, Matthew. “Our society distributes itself into Barbarians, Philistines and Populace; and America is just ourselves with the Barbarians quite left out, and the Populace nearly.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6224-our-society-distributes-itself-into-barbarians-philistines/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Arnold, Matthew. “Our society distributes itself into Barbarians, Philistines and Populace; and America is just ourselves with the Barbarians quite left out, and the Populace nearly.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6224-our-society-distributes-itself-into-barbarians-philistines/.