---
title: "5 Steep Decline Quotes by 5 authors"
description: "Browse 5 Steep Decline quotes by 5 authors. Discover the best Steep Decline sayings and thoughts."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/shashi-tharoor-2698_abu_the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and_140323.jpg"
---

> [The steep decline in America's image and standing after 9/11 is a direct reflection of global distaste for the instruments of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and-standing-after-9-11-is-a/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/shashi-tharoor-2698_abu_the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and_140323.jpg)

> [My proficiency with ballet was on a steep decline the more I skated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/my-proficiency-with-ballet-was-on-a-steep-decline-the-more-i-skated/)

[Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/tessa-virtue-5691_ballet_my-proficiency-with-ballet-was-on-a-stee_533990.jpg)

> [It's just silly to look at the incredibly steep decline in the mainline and the clear institutional weakening of Catholicism in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/it-s-just-silly-to-look-at-the-incredibly-steep-decline-in-the/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff7/ross-douthat-2949_1960s_it-s-just-silly-to-look-at-the-incredibl_1077821.png)

> [Clutching our crystals and religiously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in steep decline, unable to distinguish between what's true and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/clutching-our-crystals-and-religiously-consulting-our-horoscopes-our/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/carl-sagan-160_consulting_clutching-our-crystals-and-religiously-c_1974311.jpg)

> [“The frequent claims that empty churches and low levels of religious activity in Europe today reflect a steep decline in piety are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/the-frequent-claims-that-empty-churches-and-low-levels-of-religious/)

[Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/rodney-stark-7977_low-level_the-frequent-claims-that-empty-churches_2506608.png)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steep-decline/#itemlist",
            "name": "Steep Decline Quotes",
            "numberOfItems": 5,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "The steep decline in America's image and standing after 9/11 is a direct reflection of global distaste for the instruments of American hard power: the Iraq invasion, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, torture, rendition, Blackwater's killings of Iraqi civilians.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Shashi Tharoor"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and-standing-after-9-11-is-a/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/shashi-tharoor-2698_abu_the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and_140323.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/shashi-tharoor-2698_abu_the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and_140323.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/shashi-tharoor-2698_abu_the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and_140323.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The steep decline in America's image and standing after 9/11 is a direct reflection of global distaste for…” — Shashi Tharoor",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "My proficiency with ballet was on a steep decline the more I skated.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Tessa Virtue"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/my-proficiency-with-ballet-was-on-a-steep-decline-the-more-i-skated/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/tessa-virtue-5691_ballet_my-proficiency-with-ballet-was-on-a-stee_533990.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/tessa-virtue-5691_ballet_my-proficiency-with-ballet-was-on-a-stee_533990.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/tessa-virtue-5691_ballet_my-proficiency-with-ballet-was-on-a-stee_533990.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“My proficiency with ballet was on a steep decline the more I skated.” — Tessa Virtue",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "It's just silly to look at the incredibly steep decline in the mainline and the clear institutional weakening of Catholicism in the 1960s and 70s and pretend that something really big didn't change then. It did change. There really was a significant institutional decline.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Ross Douthat"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/it-s-just-silly-to-look-at-the-incredibly-steep-decline-in-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff7/ross-douthat-2949_1960s_it-s-just-silly-to-look-at-the-incredibl_1077821.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff7/ross-douthat-2949_1960s_it-s-just-silly-to-look-at-the-incredibl_1077821.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff7/ross-douthat-2949_1960s_it-s-just-silly-to-look-at-the-incredibl_1077821.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“It's just silly to look at the incredibly steep decline in the mainline and the clear institutional…” — Ross Douthat",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Clutching our crystals and religiously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in steep decline, unable to distinguish between what's true and what feels good, we slide, almost without noticing, into superstition and darkness.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Carl Sagan"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/clutching-our-crystals-and-religiously-consulting-our-horoscopes-our/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/carl-sagan-160_consulting_clutching-our-crystals-and-religiously-c_1974311.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/carl-sagan-160_consulting_clutching-our-crystals-and-religiously-c_1974311.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/carl-sagan-160_consulting_clutching-our-crystals-and-religiously-c_1974311.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Clutching our crystals and religiously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in steep decline…” — Carl Sagan",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“The frequent claims that empty churches and low levels of religious activity in Europe today reflect a steep decline in piety are wrong—it was always thus.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Rodney Stark"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/the-frequent-claims-that-empty-churches-and-low-levels-of-religious/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/rodney-stark-7977_low-level_the-frequent-claims-that-empty-churches_2506608.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/rodney-stark-7977_low-level_the-frequent-claims-that-empty-churches_2506608.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/rodney-stark-7977_low-level_the-frequent-claims-that-empty-churches_2506608.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The frequent claims that empty churches and low levels of religious activity in Europe today reflect a steep…” — Rodney Stark",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steep-decline/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steep-decline/",
            "name": "Steep Decline Quotes",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steep-decline/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/shashi-tharoor-2698_abu_the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and_140323.jpg"
            },
            "description": "Browse 5 Steep Decline quotes by 5 authors. Discover the best Steep Decline sayings and thoughts.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steep-decline/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steep-decline/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Steep Decline Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steep-decline/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
