"One of the symptoms of rampant ambition was the upgrading by name alone of occupations which could not be upgraded in any other way. We no longer have to be so hypocritical. We can recognize inferiority and dare to label it so. But in those days rat-catchers were called ‘rodent officers’, sanitary inspectors ‘public health inspectors’, and lavatory cleaners ‘amenities attendants’."

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Original Language: English

Sources

p.112.

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Rise_of_the_Meritocracy