--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Civilizations die from suicide, not by…" description: "\"Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.\" — Arnold J. Toynbee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/arnold-j-toynbee-12041_suicide_civilizations-die-from-suicide-not-by-mu_1114467.jpg" --- # Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder. ![“Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.” quote by Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/arnold-j-toynbee-12041_suicide_civilizations-die-from-suicide-not-by-mu_1114467.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/arnold-j-toynbee-12041_suicide_civilizations-die-from-suicide-not-by-mu_1114467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/arnold-j-toynbee-12041_suicide_civilizations-die-from-suicide-not-by-mu_1114467.jpg) > “Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.” [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civilizations collapse due to internal self‑destruction rather than external violence. **In simple terms:** Self‑destruction ends societies. Key Takeaway Address internal decay before external threats. Themes civilization decline self‑destruction Mood analytical serious Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - economic crises - environmental degradation - political corruption Key Concepts historical cycles cultural entropy political decay Questions to Reflect On - What internal issues threaten your community? - How can societies prevent self‑destruction? A Different Perspective External attacks can also be decisive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilizations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilizations/) [Civilizations Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilizations-die-2075312/) [Die Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-suicide-649004/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Suicide Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide-murder-2986522/) ## Related quotes > [I do not believe that civilizations have to die because civilization is not an organism. It is a product of wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/i-do-not-believe-that-civilizations-have-to-die-because-civilization/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Civilizations die from philosophical calm, irony, and a sense of fair play quite as surely as they die of debauchery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/civilizations-die-from-philosophical-calm-irony-and-a-sense-of-fair/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [We don't judge people for dying in car crashes. But we do judge people when they die of suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gethard/we-don-t-judge-people-for-dying-in-car-crashes-but-we-do-judge-people/) [Chris Gethard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gethard/) > [Die, very good, but do not make others die. Suicides like the one which is about to take place here are sublime, but suicide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/die-very-good-but-do-not-make-others-die-suicides-like-the-one-which/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Suicide is part murder, revenge on those who hurt you, just as murder is part suicide, for a murderer knows he risks losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-freeman/suicide-is-part-murder-revenge-on-those-who-hurt-you-just-as-murder/) [Lucy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-freeman/) > [I'm on the verge of suicide, so what's murder?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bushwick-bill/i-m-on-the-verge-of-suicide-so-what-s-murder/) [Bushwick Bill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bushwick-bill/) > [“As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/as-a-nation-of-freemen-we-must-live-through-all-time-or-die-by-suicide/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [“Stop blaming other people and circumstances for killing your dreams. The truth is; we tend to talk ourselves out of acting upon our dreams.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/stop-blaming-other-people-and-circumstances-for-killing-your-dreams/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [People don't die from suicide, they die from sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-don-t-die-from-suicide-they-die-from-sadness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People who die by suicide dont want to end there lives, they want to end there PAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-who-die-by-suicide-dont-want-to-end-there-lives-they-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People do not die from Suicide. They die due to sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-do-not-die-from-suicide-they-die-due-to-sadness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most societies die of suicide, not attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/most-societies-die-of-suicide-not-attack/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [People who die by suicide, dont want to end their lives, they want to end their pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-who-die-by-suicide-dont-want-to-end-their-lives-they-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [On this showing, the nature of the breakdowns of civilizations can be summed up in three points: a failure of creative power in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/on-this-showing-the-nature-of-the-breakdowns-of-civilizations-can-be/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Of the twenty or so civilizations known to modern Western historians, all except our own appear to be dead or moribund, and, when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/of-the-twenty-or-so-civilizations-known-to-modern-western-historians/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) ## More by Arnold J. Toynbee > [Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/apathy-can-be-overcome-by-enthusiasm/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [I do not believe that civilizations have to die because civilization is not an organism. It is a product of wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/i-do-not-believe-that-civilizations-have-to-die-because-civilization/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Material power that is not counterbalanced by adequate spiritual power, that is, by love and wisdom, is a curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/material-power-that-is-not-counterbalanced-by-adequate-spiritual/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [It is already becoming clear that a chapter which had a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/it-is-already-becoming-clear-that-a-chapter-which-had-a-western/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The absolute value of love makes life worth while, and so makes Man's strange and difficult situation acceptable. Love cannot save life from death;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-absolute-value-of-love-makes-life-worth-while-and-so-makes-man-s/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Religion holds the solution to all problems of human relationship, whether they are between parents and children or nation and nation. Sooner or later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/religion-holds-the-solution-to-all-problems-of-human-relationship/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [We human beings do have some genuine freedom of choice and therefore some effective control over our own destinies. I am not a determinist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/we-human-beings-do-have-some-genuine-freedom-of-choice-and-therefore/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Our western science is a child of moral virtues; and it must now become the father of further moral virtues if its extraordinary material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/our-western-science-is-a-child-of-moral-virtues-and-it-must-now/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The aim of all education is, or should be, to teach people to educate themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-aim-of-all-education-is-or-should-be-to-teach-people-to-educate/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [America is a large friendly dog in a small room. Every time it wags its tail it knocks over a chair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/america-is-a-large-friendly-dog-in-a-small-room-every-time-it-wags/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam, and in the contemporary world there is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-extinction-of-race-consciousness-as-between-muslims-is-one-of-the/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/it-is-a-paradoxical-but-profoundly-true-and-important-principle-of/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Of the twenty-two civilizations that have appeared in history, nineteen of them collapsed when they reached the moral state the United States is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/of-the-twenty-two-civilizations-that-have-appeared-in-history/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The equation of religion with belief is rather recent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-equation-of-religion-with-belief-is-rather-recent/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The course of human history consists of a series of encounters between individual human beings and God in which each man and woman or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-course-of-human-history-consists-of-a-series-of-encounters/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) [Explore all 56 Arnold J. Toynbee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. 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