"Anyone can be a barbarian; it requires a terrible effort to remain a civilized man"

This quote by Leonard Woolf talks to the idea that it is easier to be a barbarian than a civilized man. Woolf suggests that it takes a good deal of effort to remain civilized in the face of adversity. He indicates that it is much easier to succumb to our more primal instincts and act in a barbaric way than it is to stay made up and act in a civilized manner. This quote speaks with the idea that it is not enough to simply be a civilized male, however that it takes a mindful effort to stay so. It is a pointer that it is very important to stay conscious of our actions and to strive to be the best variation of ourselves. Woolf's quote is a pointer that it is inadequate to simply be a civilized male, however that it takes a mindful effort to remain so.