Civilization Quotes

"The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons" "It is a curious thing that every creed promises a paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste" "Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it's the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself." "I think God's going to come down and pull civilization over for speeding." "There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism" "With no power to annul the elemental evil in him, though readily enough he could hide it; apprehending the good, but powerless to be it a varnish of conventionalities hiding his barbaric core" "Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty, and dies with chaos" "Civilization is, among other things, the process by which animals are turned into men." "Fiction isn’t bad. It is vital. Without commonly accepted stories about things like money, states or corporations, no complex human society can function" "I am not aware that any community has a right to force another to be civilized." "The foundation of empire is art and science" "The more humanity advances the more it is degraded." "Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice" "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within" "A common mistake is assuming that civilization will consistently advance in productive ways without considering the role of human nature and unpredictability in influencing progress."