Elizabeth Debicki

I have to say that filming 'The Night Manager' was not just amazing but also very daunting at first. I used to describe myself as the token plebeian surrounded by all your national treasures. All that glittering talent in one place; I knew Hugh from Fry and Laurie videos that my grandpa used to watch, and Tom Hollander's 'Rev' is hilarious.

Australian Actress

Richard Corliss

Icy and earthy, Helen Mirren is a rare, regal presence in a movie age that values the plebeian over the patrician and mass over class. Lauded with an Oscar and an Emmy for playing both Queen Elizabeths, Mirren has matched her cool aristocracy with a boldness of performance and display.

American Writer

Ameen Rihani

The most important in the history of nations and individuals was once the most trivial, and vice versa. The plebeian, who is called today the 'man in the street,' can never see and understand the significance of the hidden seed of things, which in time must develop or die.

Lebanese Writer

Ernesto Teodoro Moneta

The concept that flourished during the most glorious periods of republican Rome and that appeared in the Twelve Tables of the Law as one of the first, though as yet imperfect, affirmations of the rights of man, inspired the struggle between patricians and plebeians.

Italian Journalist

Richard Rorty

The usual picture of Socrates is of an ugly little plebeian who inspired a handsome young nobleman to write long dialogues on large topics.

American Philosopher

Paula Cole

When you're a plebeian you want success, and when you're successful you want to be a plebeian again.

American Musician

Originally classified non-noble citizens in ancient Rome, carries historical weight.

Historical Class

While indicating common status, 'plebeian' is not necessarily insulting.

Not Pejorative

Use neutrally to describe someone's social status, not their personal worth.

Neutral Use

Emphasizes simplicity or the lack of sophistication in taste or manner.

Ordinary Quality

Often refers to things that appeal to the average person.

Common Appeal

Doesn't always imply poor quality; can mean practical or accessible.

Plebeian