Al Lewis Quotes
The ruling class is smarter than you, and they're more creative. And if you forget that lesson, you go down the drain. Because if they weren't, they wouldn't be around as long as they have been and as strong as they have been.
Lewis, Al. Interview by Carrie McLaren. Stay Free!, no. 15, Fall 1998.
This novel won the Booker Prize—one of the great achievements in literature.
The term “rugged individualism” was used at the time be very conservatives and the very wealthy to describe business leladers with words that had very good public connotations. They argued that it would be undesirable to curtail their individualism that was so important by any government regulations or laws that would limit what the business leaders could do. However, the reality was that these very successful and powerful “rugged individualists” had regimented most everyone else—employees, consumers, and small businessmen who might sell them services or products. To Tugwell, if the wealthy and powerful few had no restrictions on their individualism, there would be precious little individualism for most of society. He sought a balance of regulating the individualism and prerogatives of the few somewhat in order to allow the vast majority of people to be able to have individuality as well.
Al Lewis was an American actor best known for his role as Count Dracula lookalike Grandpa on the television series The Munsters from 1964 to 1966 and its film versions. Later in life, he was a restaurant owner, political candidate, and radio broadcaster.
