"Such proud, obstinate, ridiculous judgements I have encountered many times and once even in England."
Hythloday is clearly dissatisfied with the society he sees outside of Utopia. Here, he explains that the sin of pride – which he thinks is a gateway to all other sins – is pervasive, existing everywhere in the world and not just in England. Here, the text sets up the introduction of Hythloday's Utopia, where this kind of behavior is virtually nonexistent.
"What's more, these gentry drag around with them a great train of idle servants, who have never learned any trade by which they could make a living."
Hythloday makes it clear from the beginning of his speech that he holds the aristocracy (the "gentry") in particular contempt for their wealth while others suffer in poverty. Here, he elaborates on his distaste by arguing that these wealthy and idle nobles create idle servants who themselves do not know how to work and have no worthwhile skills. In this quotation, Hythloday suggests that pride and idleness are contagious and fast-spreading traits.
"This is why, I would say, it is the king's duty to take more care of his people's welfare than of his own, just as it is the duty of a shepherd who cares about his job to feed the sheep rather than himself."
As mentioned previously, questions of power and how it is to be used are everywhere in Utopia. Here, Hythloday argues not-so-subtly for a version of kingship that is truly unselfish and dedicated to the people. As King Henry VIII (a notoriously self-interested monarch) was More's employer at the time, these meditations on kingship are particularly tactful, as More simultaneously questions the nature of power while refraining from criticizing kings directly.
"However abundant goods may be, when every man tries to get as much as he can for his own exclusive use, a handful of men end up sharing the whole pile, and the rest are left in poverty."
Readers may find some of Hythloday's remarks surprisingly appropriate for contemporary societies. This quotation, for example, directly connects pride with wealth, suggesting that pride is what stirs one's desire for wealth and creates a gap between rich citizens and poor ones. Here, Hythloday argues that pride is to blame for the social problem of poverty.
"But no one [in Utopia] has to exhaust himself with endless toil ... as if he were a beast of burden."
In this quotation, Hythloday implicitly compares the conception of labor in Europe to that in Utopia. While he previously criticized European aristocrats for fostering laziness among themselves and their servants, he doubles back here to mention that while people understand the value of work in Utopia, they are not overextending themselves for the sake of labor. His use of animal imagery through the phrase "beast of burden" suggests that European society treats working people like animals of whom they can take advantage.
"[The Utopian] elders introduce topics of conversation, which they try not to make gloomy or dull. They never monopolize the conversation with long monologues, but are ready to hear what the young men say."
In his description of Utopian conversation, Hythloday explains that lengthy and dramatic monologues are absent from the Utopian way of communicating. Instead, in an attempt to eliminate prideful discourse, Utopians engage in fair, balanced, and considerate exchanges of ideas. Ironically, of course, Hythloday has discouraged his own audience from delivering elaborate speeches while he himself speaks at length about the beauty of Utopia.
"At the middle of the first table in the highest part of the dining hall sits the syphogrant with his wife. This is the place of greatest honor..."
This is just one of the many examples throughout Utopia in which Hythloday contradicts his own description of the perfect Utopian society. While he previously argued that the elimination of pride has manifested as an elimination of social hierarchy (in Utopia, for instance, there is no aristocracy), this description of the syphogrant occupying "the place of greatest" honor seems to suggest that there is, still, some hierarchical structure to Utopian society as well.
"The Utopians keep as slaves only prisoners taken in wars fought by the Utopians themselves."
This remark is perhaps the most common one pointed to among scholars who argue that More's Utopia is an ironic or at least ambiguous text. While Hythloday continues to praise Utopia for its lack of social hierarchy and its sense of equality among all citizens, he also casually mentions here that they have slaves. He attempts to justify slavery in Utopia by noting that the slaves are prisoners of war, but this comment should make readers wary of Hythloday's perception that Utopia is a perfect society of equality and prosperity.
"But I saw Raphael was tired with talking, and I was not sure he could take contradiction in these matters, particularly when I recalled what he has said about certain counsellors who were afraid they might not appear knowing enough unless they found something to criticize in other men's ideas."
In this quotation, Thomas More (the narrator) subtly suspects that Hythloday is not able to receive criticism for any of the ideas he has proffered throughout his description of Utopia. As the narrative comes to an end, More casts some doubt on the soundness of Hythloday's praises by implying that Hythloday himself might have a problem with excessive pride. This is one of the reasons why scholars point out that Utopia is an ambiguous text that is often difficult to interpret.
"The institutions [the Utopians] have adopted have made their community most happy and, as far as anyone can tell, capable of lasting forever [...] As long as they preserve harmony at home, and keep their institutions healthy, the Utopians can never be overcome or even shaken by their envious neighbors."
As Hythloday concludes his explanation of Utopia, he ends by arguing that there is no foreseeable future in which Utopia would cease to exist (remember, however, that this is a fictional place invented by More himself). Interestingly, Hythloday attributes this longevity to the happiness of Utopia's citizens, a perspective that does not necessarily align with political philosophy. At the end of the text, therefore, More suggests that Hythloday might be partially blinded by the idealism that Utopia has inspired in him.
