Sorrows of Woke: Extraordinary Popular Delusions & The Madness of Crowds

From Extraordinary Popular Delusions & The Madness of Crowds, by Charles MacKay, 1841

Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go Like mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.

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We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one Like object, and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first.

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During seasons of great pestilence men have often believed the Like prophecies of crazed fanatics, that the end of the world was come.

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Credulity is always greatest in times of calamity. Prophecies of all sorts are rife on such occasions, and are readily believed, whether for good or evil. During the great plague, which ravaged all Europe, between the years 1345 and 1350, it was generally considered that the end of the world was at hand.

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Thus did they nurse their folly, as the good wife of Tam O’Shanter did Like her wrath, “to keep it warm.”

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Nations, like individuals, cannot become desperate gamblers with Like impunity. Punishment is sure to overtake them sooner or later.