Public Opinion... an attempt to organize the ignorance of the community, and to elevate it to the dignity of physical force.
Source: Gilbert, in The Critic as Artist, pt. 2 (published in Intentions, 1891).
-- Oscar Wilde, (Oct 16 1856-1900), Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist; He was noted for his flamboyant witty, sophisticated plays, e.g., The Importance of Being Ernest, 1895.