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As in the Divine Right of Kings, hierarchies invest those who preside at the top of their pyramidal structure with absolute power to rule over the lesser ranks that spread down like a marble staircase to the broad foundation stones of those with no power at all.

— Eugene Kennedy

Sentiment: NEGATIVE

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✓Similar Perspectives

Divine right of kings means the divine right of anyone who can get uppermost.

— Herbert Spencer

The ministers of kings should learn to moderate their ambition. The higher they elevate themselves above their proper sphere, the greater the danger that they will fall.

— Louis XIV

Nearly everywhere monarchs raised themselves further above the level of the greatest nobles and buttressed their new pretensions to respect and authority with cannons and taxation.

— J. M. Roberts

Being a monarchist, and fawning over those 'above' you, you must naturally despise those 'below' or on the same socioeconomic level as yourself, because that is how hierarchy worship works.

— Julie Burchill

A titled leader relies heavily on positional power to get things done; a natural leader is able to mobilize others without the whip of formal authority.

— Gary Hamel

Those who are able to climb up the ladder will find ways to pull it up after them, or selectively lower it down to allow their friends, allies, and kin to scramble up. In other words: 'Who says meritocracy says oligarchy.'

— Chris Hayes

It won't do away with hierarchy totally, but the principal leader will be the person who most exemplifies the kind of organization and behavior required who is best able to create the conditions such organizations require.

— Dee Hock

As dutiful bishops soon discover, authoritarianism, or control from the top down, characterizes the hierarchical tradition.

— Eugene Kennedy

Whenever people can access deities directly without the intervention of a religious hierarchy, they don't need to have hierarchy so much.

— Barbara Ehrenreich

✗Opposing Perspectives

While hereditary chiefs inhabit the apex of our traditional social systems, it would be a mistake to think they hold all the power. They aren't kings. They aren't dictators. They're answerable to their clans and their matriarchs. All decisions that affect our communities require lengthy, deliberate discussions and careful negotiation.

— Eden Robinson