A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within. Ariel Durant
A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.Martin Luther King
America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. Oscar Wilde
But you have to understand, my beard is so nasty. I mean, it's the only beard in the history of Western civilization that makes Bob Dylan's beard look good. Bill Walton
Civilization is a youth with a molotov cocktail in his hand. Culture is the Soviet tank or L.A. cop that guns him down. Edward abbey
Courtesy is a silver lining around the dark clouds of civilization; it is the best part of refinement and in many ways, an art of heroic beauty in the vast gallery of man's cruelty and baseness. Bryant H.McGill
Debt is part of the human condition. Civilization is based on exchanges - on gifts, trades, loans - and the revenges and insults that come when they are not paid back. Margaret Atwood
Egypt gave birth to what later would become known as 'Western Civilization,' long before the greatness of Greece and Rome. John Henrik Clarke
I do not believe that civilization will be wiped out in a war fought with the atomic bomb. Perhaps two-thirds of the people of the earth will be killed. Albert Einstein
I have thought a sufficient measure of civilization is the influence of good women. Ralph Waldo Emerson
If there hadn't been women we'd still be squatting in a cave eating raw meat, because we made civilization in order to impress our girlfriends. orson welles
Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity. L .Frank Baum
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
Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really the test of civilization. Winston churchill
Science has done more for the development of western civilization in one hundred years than Christianity did in eighteen hundred years. John Burroughs
Self-righteous people can talk themselves into forgetting they are part of a civilization. They can then feed on that culture, bringing it down. It's happened many times in the past. It could happen to us. David Brin
The best security for civilization is the dwelling, and upon properly appointed and becoming dwellings depends, more than anything else, the improvement of mankind. Benjamin Disraeli