Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page Matthew Arnold Quote “The freethinking of one age is the common sense of the next.” ~ Matthew Arnold (1822-1887)1875 Freedom , Liberty , Proverbs , Reason , Wisdom Ratings and Comments 1 Reply E Archer, NYC 11/7/07 Never fear challenging the staus quo. 1 Reply RobertSRQ 11/7/07 Indeed! never fear questioning authority 1 Reply warren, olathe 11/7/07 When do we get to the common sense part? Common sense is perpetually under attack because so many lack it. 1 Reply Mike, Norwalk 11/7/07 I guess its all in how you define free-thinking. Marx and others could be considered free-thinking but had zero common sense in that age or the next. 1 Reply Allyn, WA 11/7/07 I am always amazed at how each generation tries to reinvent the wheel. The arrogance of youth leads them to believe they have some special insight that, somehow, their fathers didn't. Some things have been established for thousands of years for good reason and ought to be left alone (if we know what's good for us). Reply Tom, Portland 11/7/07 Good quote, but I think Ambrose Bierce, in his "The Devil's Dictionary", put it better: "Radicalism, n. The conservatism of tomorrow injected into the affairs of today." 1 Reply Robert, St. Emilion, France 9/11/14 I just hope its not to late.... 1 Reply jim k, austin tx 9/11/14 Very well said Allyn. 1 Reply cal, Lewisville, tx 9/11/14 Our forefathers did the free-thinking. When will the generation with common sense appear? SaveOk2 SaveOk2 View CommentsClick to view or comment. Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print This Matthew Arnold quote is found in these categories: Freedom quotes Liberty quotes Proverbs quotes Reason quotes Wisdom quotes About Matthew Arnold Bio of Matthew Arnold Quotations by Matthew Arnold Books by/about Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold videos Matthew Arnold on Wikipedia Astrological chart for Matthew Arnold