--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the more institutions and freedoms and…" description: "\"“the more institutions and freedoms and benefits one can take for granted – of which in my view free state-supported galleries and museums come high on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffa/alan-bennett-1922_freedom_the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-b_2185117.jpg" --- # the more institutions and freedoms and benefits one can… ![“the more institutions and freedoms and benefits one can take for granted – of which in my view free state-supported galleries and museums come high on the list – the more civilised a society is.” quote by Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffa/alan-bennett-1922_freedom_the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-b_2185117.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffa/alan-bennett-1922_freedom_the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-b_2185117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffa/alan-bennett-1922_freedom_the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-b_2185117.jpg) > ““the more institutions and freedoms and benefits one can take for granted – of which in my view free state-supported galleries and museums come high on the list – the more civilised a society is.”” [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When basic rights and cultural support are taken for granted, they signal a civilized society. **In simple terms:** Gratitude for freedoms shows civility. Key Takeaway Value and protect public cultural institutions. Themes civilization culture gratitude Mood appreciative reflective Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - museum funding - education policy Key Concepts public goods social welfare Questions to Reflect On - What do you appreciate most in society? - How can you support cultural institutions? A Different Perspective Resources can be vulnerable to cuts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilised society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilised-society/) [Free state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-state/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedoms/) ## Related quotes > [Many in local government will ask why should only a few areas have the freedoms and benefits of Enterprise Zone status while the majority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-sawford/many-in-local-government-will-ask-why-should-only-a-few-areas-have/) [Andy Sawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-sawford/) > [I think you will agree the sign of a civilised society is a regular dining schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-ballantine/i-think-you-will-agree-the-sign-of-a-civilised-society-is-a-regular/) [Philippa Ballantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-ballantine/) > [There is a proud and patriotic tradition on the centre left of supporting our armed forces; being tough on crime as well as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-streeting/there-is-a-proud-and-patriotic-tradition-on-the-centre-left-of/) [Wes Streeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-streeting/) > [“At every moment of life the civilised man is hedged about by restrictions of impulse: if he happens to feel cheerful he must not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/at-every-moment-of-life-the-civilised-man-is-hedged-about-by/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [A civilised society ought to make ample provision for everyone, no matter their background, to enjoy the arts and culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munira-mirza/a-civilised-society-ought-to-make-ample-provision-for-everyone-no/) [Munira Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munira-mirza/) > [It is so far from being natural for a man and woman to live in a state of marriage, that we find all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-so-far-from-being-natural-for-a-man-and-woman-to-live-in-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [We believe that a civilised society can be measured by the way in which it treats its most vulnerable members and that being impatient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-shapps/we-believe-that-a-civilised-society-can-be-measured-by-the-way-in/) [Grant Shapps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-shapps/) > [The permissive society has been allowed to become a dirty phrase. 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R. Narayana Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-r-narayana-murthy/) > [Sex is probably one of the last forms of human expression to enjoy such a direct connection with nature. It might be the primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-koerfer/sex-is-probably-one-of-the-last-forms-of-human-expression-to-enjoy/) [Thomas Koerfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-koerfer/) > [This extraordinary metal, the soul of every manufacture, and the mainspring perhaps of civilised society. Of iron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/this-extraordinary-metal-the-soul-of-every-manufacture-and-the/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [“Why should a woman feel the constant need to be guarded from men in a civilised society? The culprits in fact are suppression and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prachi-bhaumik/why-should-a-woman-feel-the-constant-need-to-be-guarded-from-men-in-a/) [Prachi Bhaumik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prachi-bhaumik/) ## More by Alan Bennett > [“The closest she got to pretence was politeness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-closest-she-got-to-pretence-was-politeness/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [An article on playwrights in the Daily Mail , listed according to Hard Left, Soft Left, Hard Right, Soft Right and Centre. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/an-article-on-playwrights-in-the-daily-mail-listed-according-to-hard/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [I'm not good at precise, coherent argument. But plays are suited to incoherent argument, put into the mouths of fallible people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/i-m-not-good-at-precise-coherent-argument-but-plays-are-suited-to/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [The thing I think about is that once you've done it, you then start to think about what you're going to do next. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-thing-i-think-about-is-that-once-you-ve-done-it-you-then-start-to/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [At the drabber moments of my life (swilling some excrement from the steps, for instance, or rooting with a bent coat-hanger down a blocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/at-the-drabber-moments-of-my-life-swilling-some-excrement-from-the/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [There are more microbes per person than the entire population of the world. Imagine that. Per person. 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It might be the primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-koerfer/sex-is-probably-one-of-the-last-forms-of-human-expression-to-enjoy/) [Thomas Koerfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-koerfer/) > [India is known for much development that has happened since our independence, but at the same time, we have also failed on many levels.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-r-narayana-murthy/india-is-known-for-much-development-that-has-happened-since-our/) [N. R. Narayana Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-r-narayana-murthy/) > [Vigorous societies harbour a certain extravagance of objectives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/vigorous-societies-harbour-a-certain-extravagance-of-objectives/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Vigorous societies harbor a certain extravagance of objectives, so that men wander beyond the safe provision of personal gratifications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/vigorous-societies-harbor-a-certain-extravagance-of-objectives-so/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [“There are some occasions when you must not refuse a cup of tea, otherwise you are judged an exotic and barbarous bird without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/there-are-some-occasions-when-you-must-not-refuse-a-cup-of-tea/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [The permissive society has been allowed to become a dirty phrase. A better phrase is the civilised society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-jenkins/the-permissive-society-has-been-allowed-to-become-a-dirty-phrase-a/) [Roy Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-jenkins/) > [We believe that a civilised society can be measured by the way in which it treats its most vulnerable members and that being impatient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-shapps/we-believe-that-a-civilised-society-can-be-measured-by-the-way-in/) [Grant Shapps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-shapps/) > [It is so far from being natural for a man and woman to live in a state of marriage, that we find all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-so-far-from-being-natural-for-a-man-and-woman-to-live-in-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [A civilised society ought to make ample provision for everyone, no matter their background, to enjoy the arts and culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munira-mirza/a-civilised-society-ought-to-make-ample-provision-for-everyone-no/) [Munira Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munira-mirza/) > [“At every moment of life the civilised man is hedged about by restrictions of impulse: if he happens to feel cheerful he must not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/at-every-moment-of-life-the-civilised-man-is-hedged-about-by/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [There is a proud and patriotic tradition on the centre left of supporting our armed forces; being tough on crime as well as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-streeting/there-is-a-proud-and-patriotic-tradition-on-the-centre-left-of/) [Wes Streeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-streeting/) > [I think you will agree the sign of a civilised society is a regular dining schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-ballantine/i-think-you-will-agree-the-sign-of-a-civilised-society-is-a-regular/) [Philippa Ballantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-ballantine/) > [I am a very, very strong advocate of the notion that we shouldn't equate the arts with other aspects of infrastructure. They have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-brandis/i-am-a-very-very-strong-advocate-of-the-notion-that-we-shouldn-t/) [George Brandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-brandis/) [Browse all 31 Civilised society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilised-society/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the more institutions and freedoms and benefits one can take for granted – of which in my view free state-supported galleries and museums come high on the list – the more civilised a society is.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Bennett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-benefits-one-can-take-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civilised society" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-benefits-one-can-take-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffa/alan-bennett-1922_freedom_the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-b_2185117.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffa/alan-bennett-1922_freedom_the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-b_2185117.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffa/alan-bennett-1922_freedom_the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-b_2185117.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“the more institutions and freedoms and benefits one can take for granted – of which in my view free…” — Alan Bennett", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Alan Bennett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“the more institutions and freedoms and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-benefits-one-can-take-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-more-institutions-and-freedoms-and-benefits-one-can-take-for/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```