Nature smiles at the union of freedom and equality in our utopias. For freedom and equality are sworn and everlasting enemies, and when one prevails the other dies.
Will DurantRead
A great civilization is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within. The essential causes of Rome's decline lay in her people, her morals, her class struggle, her failing trade, her bureaucratic despotism, her stifling taxes, her consuming wars.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Civilizations decline due to internal issues before external conquest.
This quote by Will Durant reflects on the factors that contribute to the decline of a great civilization, such as moral decay, social struggles, economic troubles, and bureaucratic inefficiency. It suggests that the internal weaknesses of a society must be addressed, as they can lead to self-destruction long before any external threats can fully conquer it.
Themes
CivilizationDeclineInternalMoralsSocietySelf-Destruction
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on historical patterns of decline among empires.
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When liberty destroys order the hunger for order will destroy liberty.
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