How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
"[If], as has often happened before, this class were to vanish, an equivalent one would be formed straightaway with the same qualities and the same defects; it might not be based on blood any more, but possibly on… on, say, the length of time lived in a place, or on greater knowledge of some text considered sacred." (5.29)
Father Pirrone is pretty cynical when it comes to social classes. He knows that the moment Fabrizio's class vanishes, another one will rise to take its place. This new class will just have a different standard of measurement for "greatness," like how long a person has lived in a town or how much they know about a certain book. Or in other words, he believes that the world will always have snobs and cliques, which are just part of human experience.