Honore de Balzac

Bureaucracy Honore de Balzac

Excerpt: ...and the near-sighted ones, all had their chance of a rapid promotion. But now, ever since the Chamber invented what they called special training, and the rules and regulations for civil-service examiners, we are worse off than common soldiers. The poorest places are at the mercy of a thousand mischances because we are now ruled by a thousand sovereigns." Bixiou returning. "Are you crazy, Chazelle? Where do you find a thousand sovereigns?