“If I would be a young man again and had to decide how to make my living, I would not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I would rather choose to be a plumber or a peddler in the hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances.”
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Source: On Intellectual Freedom, The Reporter, 1954
About this quote
The remark expresses concern that prestigious intellectual careers can become dependent on institutions and political approval. Its deliberately ordinary alternatives make independence, rather than occupational status, the central value.
When to use it
- A scholar builds portable practical skills before taking a role whose funding may restrict public speech.
- A young worker compares careers by autonomy and ethical freedom instead of prestige alone.
- A teacher maintains independent professional networks rather than relying entirely on one institution.