"For a century longer, Rome still retains its outward form, but the swarming nations are now in full career"
- John Lothrop Motley
About this Quote
This quote by John Lothrop Motley is referring to the decline of the Roman Empire. He is saying that for a century after its decline, Rome still preserved its outside form, however the countries that had become part of the empire were now completely pursuit of their own interests. This quote is a pointer of the power of the Roman Empire and how it was able to preserve its type for so long, even after its decline. It likewise works as a cautioning to other nations that their power and influence can be short lived, and that they should bear in mind their own interests. The quote is a tip that countries must understand their own power and impact, and that they ought to bear in mind their own interests. It is also a tip that the power of a country can be short lived, and that it needs to be utilized wisely.
"German is more familiar now since I live part of the year in Rome and part in the German part of Switzerland. But it's not difficult to sing in German; it's difficult to feel in German. This takes time. It's a culture"
"A great city, whose image dwells in the memory of man, is the type of some great idea. Rome represents conquest; Faith hovers over the towers of Jerusalem; and Athens embodies the pre-eminent quality of the antique world, Art"
"Are we like late Rome, infatuated with past glories, ruled by a complacent, greedy elite, and hopelessly powerless to respond to changing conditions?"
"All roads indeed lead to Rome, but theirs also is a more mystical destination, some bourne of which no traveller knows the name, some city, they all seem to hint, even more eternal"
