Weigh the Votes

Man soll die Stimmen wägen und nicht zählen. Votes should be weighed, not counted. The line comes from Schiller’s unfinished drama Demetrius, in the scene of the Polish parliament in Cracow. Prince Sapieha speaks it against the assembly: Was ist die Mehrheit? Mehrheit ist der Unsinn, Verstand ist stets bei wen’gen nur gewesen. What is the majority? The majority is nonsense. Understanding has always been with the few only.

In the play, the line argues against majority rule. As a saying, it is used to judge a contribution by its weight.

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