Ivan Illich Quotes

“School has become the world religion of a modernized proletariat, and makes futile promises of salvation to the poor of the technological age.”

“School has become the world religion of a modernized proletariat, and makes futile promises of salvation to the poor of the technological age.”

“The public school has become the established church of secular society.”

“Effective health care depends on self-care this fact is currently heralded as if it were a discovery. ”

“Modern medicine is a negation of health. It isn't organized to serve human health, but only itself, as an institution. It makes more people sick than it heals.”

“Healthy people are those who live in healthy homes on a healthy diet; in an environment equally fit for birth, growth work, healing, and dying... Healthy people need no bureaucratic interference to mate, give birth, share the human condition and die.”

“Leadership does not depend on being right.”

“At the moment of death I hope to be surprised.”

“We must rediscover the distinction between hope and expectation.”

“The compulsion to do good is an innate American trait. Only North Americans seem to believe that they always should, may, and actually can choose somebody with whom to share their blessings. Ultimately this attitude leads to bombing people into the acceptance of gifts.”

“Any industrial product that comes in per capita quanta beyond a given intensity exercises a radical monopoly over the satisfaction of a need.”