Progress would not have been the rarity it is if the early food had not been the late poison.
Walter BagehotRead
The whole history of civilization is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards
Interpretation
What this quote means
Civilization's progress often involves ideas and institutions that become harmful over time.
Walter Bagehot's quote reflects on the evolution of civilization, emphasizing that many beliefs and systems that initially served a vital purpose can later become detrimental. This highlights the need for continuous evaluation of our structures and ideologies, as what once contributed to societal growth can become obsolete or even harmful if not reassessed in light of changing circumstances.
Themes
CivilizationCreedsInstitutionsEvolutionChange
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on societal progress, one might say, 'As Walter Bagehot observed, the history of civilization is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.'
More from Walter Bagehot
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War both needs and generates certain virtues; not the highest, but what may be called the preliminary virtues, as valor, veracity, the spirit of obedience, the habit of discipline. Any of these, and of others like them, when possessed by a nation, and no matter how generated, will give them a military advantage, and make them more likely to stay in the race of nations.
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Efficiency in an assembly requires a solid mass of steady votes; and these are collected by a deferential attachment to particular men, or by a belief in the principles that those men represent, and they are maintained by fear of those men - by the fear that if you vote against them, you may soon yourself have no vote at all.
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Life is a compromise of what your ego wants to do, what experience tells you to do, and what your nerves let you do.
Walter BagehotRead
The most melancholy of human reflections, perhaps, is that, on the whole, it is a question whether the benevolence of mankind does most good or harm.
Walter BagehotRead
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