"Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates"
About this Quote
The intent is less ecological than ideological. De Sade is arguing against the moral monopoly of Christian virtue and Enlightenment sentimentality by weaponizing the era's own fascination with natural law. If Nature is the ultimate authority, then anything that happens within it can be argued as authorized by it. That doesn't just normalize violence; it destabilizes the whole notion of guilt. You can feel the grin behind the grammar: the phrase "like creation" is bait, daring the reader to grant the premise that Nature is a legislator at all, then forcing them to accept the uncomfortable corollary.
Context matters: writing in an age of revolution, terror, and institutional collapse, de Sade saw "civilization" as a thin costume over appetite and power. The subtext is a dare to stop pretending ethics is written into the universe. If destruction is mandated, morality becomes a human invention, not a cosmic rulebook - and that opens the door to the libertine conclusion de Sade wants: if Nature doesn't blush, why should we?
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Sade, Marquis de. (2026, January 18). Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/destruction-hence-like-creation-is-one-of-natures-4164/
Chicago Style
Sade, Marquis de. "Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/destruction-hence-like-creation-is-one-of-natures-4164/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/destruction-hence-like-creation-is-one-of-natures-4164/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.









