The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know, and to demand that each and every one of them contribute 'strong opinions' to the great debates of the nation cannot, surely, be wise. It is, in any case, absurd that anyone should presume to define a person's 'dignity' in these terms.
The Remains of the Day
Stevens. Day Three, Evening - Moscombe, near Tavistock, Devon.