"A civilization which leaves so large a number of its participants unsatisfied and drives them into revolt neither has nor deserves the prospect of a lasting existence"
- Sigmund Freud
About this Quote
This quote by Sigmund Freud talks to the value of a society's capability to provide for its citizens. Freud is recommending that a civilization that stops working to fulfill the needs of its people will not be able to sustain itself in the long run. He is suggesting that if a big part of the population is disappointed and driven to revolt, then the society is not attending to its residents in a meaningful method. This absence of complete satisfaction can lead to unrest and instability, which can eventually result in the downfall of the civilization. Freud is highlighting the importance of a society's capability to offer its residents in order to guarantee its durability. He is recommending that a civilization that stops working to meet the needs of its individuals will not have the ability to survive in the long run.
"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"