#civilization

Civilization never stands still; if in one country it is falling back, in another it is changing, evolving, becoming more complicated, bringing fresh experience to body and mind, breeding new desires, and exploiting Nature's cupboard for their satisfaction. ↗

— Arthur Keith

#back #becoming #body #breeding #bringing

It is not possible for civilization to flow backwards while there is youth in the world. Youth may be headstrong, but it will advance it allotted length. ↗

— Helen Keller

#allotted #backwards #civilization #flow #headstrong

My play is the ultimate expression of my feeling of the twilight of Western civilization. ↗

— Richard Foreman

#expression #feeling #play #twilight #ultimate

I do not believe that civilizations have to die because civilization is not an organism. It is a product of wills. ↗

— Arnold J. Toynbee

#believe #civilization #civilizations #die #i

For in this century, within the next decades, will be decided for generations whether all mankind is to become Communist, whether the whole world is to become free, or whether, in the struggle, civilization as we know it is to be completely destroyed or completely changed. ↗

— Whittaker Chambers

#century #changed #civilization #communist #completely

At issue in the Hiss Case was the question whether this sick society, which we call Western civilization, could in its extremity still cast up a man whose faith in it was so great that he would voluntarily abandon those things which men hold good, including life, to defend it. ↗

— Whittaker Chambers

#call #case #cast #civilization #could

We know we need civilization and laws and procedures, but isn't it frustrating? Wouldn't it be great if we could just do what we needed to do? ↗

— Lee Child

#could #frustrating #great #just #know

A civilization is destroyed only when its gods are destroyed. ↗

— Emile M. Cioran

#destroyed #gods #only

Manlius ... took care in his invitations, actively sought to exclude from his circle crude and vulgar men like Caius Valerius. But they were all around; it was Manlius who lived in a dream world, and his bubble of civility was becoming smaller and smaller. Caius Valerius, powerful member of a powerful family, had never even heard of Plato. A hundred, even fifty years before, such an absurdity would have been inconceivable. Now it was surprising if such a man did know anything of philosophy, and even if it was explained, he would not wish to understand. ↗

— Iain Pears

#civilization #crudeness #education #knowledge #like-mindedness

The high point of civilization is that you can hate me and I can hate you but we develop an etiquette that allows us to deal with each other because if we acted solely upon our impulse we'd probably go to war. ↗

— Stanley Crouch

#allows #because #civilization #deal #develop