"A pioneer destroys things and calls it civilization"
- Charles Marion Russell
About this Quote
This quote by Charles Marion Russell speaks to the concept that progress and advancement can typically come at an expense. The concept of a leader recommends someone who is forging a new course, and in doing so, they may have to ruin things that are currently in location. This destruction is typically required in order to produce something new, but it can likewise be viewed as a form of colonization. The quote suggests that the damage of existing cultures and way of livings is often seen as an essential part of development and advancement, and is identified as "civilization" in order to validate it. This quote works as a reminder that progress and advancement can come at an expense, which it is essential to think about the ramifications of our actions.
"While civilization has been improving our houses, it has not equally improved the men who are to inhabit them. It has created palaces, but it was not so easy to create noblemen and kings"
"Noble life demands a noble architecture for noble uses of noble men. Lack of culture means what it has always meant: ignoble civilization and therefore imminent downfall"
