--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The discovery of agriculture was the…" description: "\"The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life.\" — Arthur Keith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/arthur-keith-17817_agriculture_the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-fir_1520864.png" --- # The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward… ![“The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life.” quote by Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/arthur-keith-17817_agriculture_the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-fir_1520864.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/arthur-keith-17817_agriculture_the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-fir_1520864.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/arthur-keith-17817_agriculture_the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-fir_1520864.png) > “The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life.” [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Agriculture enabled stable food supplies, allowing societies to develop complex structures and culture. **In simple terms:** Farming let humans build cities and cultures. Key Takeaway Invest in sustainable food systems. Themes civilization agriculture progress Mood reflective analytical Type historical educational When to use this quote - urban planning - historical study - policy making Key Concepts food security social organization Questions to Reflect On - How did farming change daily life? - What are modern parallels? A Different Perspective Agriculture also created social hierarchies and environmental strain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agriculture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture/) [Agriculture Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture-big-5364809/) [Civilized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilized/) [Civilized Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilized-life-940309/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Discovery Agriculture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery-agriculture-5621744/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Step Civilized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/step-civilized-5621745/) ## Related quotes > [If we're eating industrially, if we're letting large corporations, fast food chains, cook our food, we're going to have a huge, industrialized, monoculture agriculture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/if-we-re-eating-industrially-if-we-re-letting-large-corporations-fast/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“The discovery of Agriculture was the first step toward a civilized life, but the discovery of chemical fertilizers are become the first step towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biju-karakkonam-nature-and-wildlife-photographer/the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-first-step-toward-a-civilized/) [Biju Karakkonam, Nature and Wildlife Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biju-karakkonam-nature-and-wildlife-photographer/) > [“Because what is civilized life but an imposition of unreal standards upon flawed and defective human beings by other human beings no less flawed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-graham/because-what-is-civilized-life-but-an-imposition-of-unreal-standards/) [Winston Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-graham/) > [There is very little in civilized life that demands everything you got intellectually, physically, and emotionally. Driving is living. It's aggressive instead of passive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-guthrie/there-is-very-little-in-civilized-life-that-demands-everything-you/) [Janet Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-guthrie/) > [So much of 'normal, civilized' life is bull that you can't imagine... What frightens you, doesn't frighten me, what frightens me, you'd laugh at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/so-much-of-normal-civilized-life-is-bull-that-you-can-t-imagine-what/) [James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/) > [Stress is not a reaction. Rather it is the price we pay for the "civilized" life we live which by the way is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yordan-yordanov/stress-is-not-a-reaction-rather-it-is-the-price-we-pay-for-the/) [Yordan Yordanov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yordan-yordanov/) > [In civilized life, law floats in a sea of ethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-warren/in-civilized-life-law-floats-in-a-sea-of-ethics/) [Earl Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-warren/) > [Civilized life exacts its toll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/civilized-life-exacts-its-toll/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Civilized life has altogether grown too tame, and, if it is to be stable, it must provide a harmless outlets for the impulses which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/civilized-life-has-altogether-grown-too-tame-and-if-it-is-to-be/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [In civilized life, where the happiness and indeed almost the existence of man, depends on the opinion of his fellow men. He is constantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-collier/in-civilized-life-where-the-happiness-and-indeed-almost-the-existence-2/) [Jeremy Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-collier/) > [In civilized life, where the happiness, and indeed almost the existence, of man depends so much upon the opinion of his fellow men, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/in-civilized-life-where-the-happiness-and-indeed-almost-the-existence/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Civilized life, if it is to be stable, must provide a harmless outlets for the impulses which our remote ancestors satisfied in hunting. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/civilized-life-if-it-is-to-be-stable-must-provide-a-harmless-outlets/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Design, vitalized and simplified, will make the comforts of civilized life available to an ever-increasing number of Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-loewy/design-vitalized-and-simplified-will-make-the-comforts-of-civilized/) [Raymond Loewy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-loewy/) > [“Fire, slavery, cloth, coin, and stone - these are the basis of civilized life. Sometimes it happens that one or another of them gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/fire-slavery-cloth-coin-and-stone-these-are-the-basis-of-civilized/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [There's a hollowness to civilized life. It doesn't appeal to people, and some people react with extreme violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zerzan/there-s-a-hollowness-to-civilized-life-it-doesn-t-appeal-to-people/) [John Zerzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zerzan/) ## More by Arthur Keith > [It is just because civilization is ever evolving, changing, and becoming more complicated, that experts find it so difficult to define it in explicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/it-is-just-because-civilization-is-ever-evolving-changing-and/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [Religious leaders and men of science have the same ideals; they want to understand and explain the universe of which they are part; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/religious-leaders-and-men-of-science-have-the-same-ideals-they-want/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [My personal conviction is that science is concerned wholly with truth, not with ethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/my-personal-conviction-is-that-science-is-concerned-wholly-with-truth/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [Man is by nature competitive, combative, ambitious, jealous, envious, and vengeful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/man-is-by-nature-competitive-combative-ambitious-jealous-envious-and/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [A drunkard is one thing, and a temperate man is quite another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/a-drunkard-is-one-thing-and-a-temperate-man-is-quite-another/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [In every man there is an instinctive and passionate reaction if his person or liberty is attacked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/in-every-man-there-is-an-instinctive-and-passionate-reaction-if-his/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [Reason has not tamed desire: it is as strong as ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/reason-has-not-tamed-desire-it-is-as-strong-as-ever/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [I prize the conditions under which I have lived because they have permitted me to choose my opportunities, to inquire into such matters as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/i-prize-the-conditions-under-which-i-have-lived-because-they-have/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [No tribe unites with another of its own free will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/no-tribe-unites-with-another-of-its-own-free-will/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [Civilization, we shall find, like Universalism and Christianity, is anti evolutionary in its effects; it works against the laws and conditions which regulated the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/civilization-we-shall-find-like-universalism-and-christianity-is-anti/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [We shall never understand the ethical system taught by Jesus unless we realize that he was a Jew, not only by birth, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/we-shall-never-understand-the-ethical-system-taught-by-jesus-unless/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [No tempting form of error is without some latent charm derived from truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/no-tempting-form-of-error-is-without-some-latent-charm-derived-from/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it only because the only alternative is special creation, and that is unthinkable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/evolution-is-unproved-and-unprovable-we-believe-it-only-because-the/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [Whichever theory we adopt to give a rational explanation of human existence, that theory must take into account and explain the mental nature we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/whichever-theory-we-adopt-to-give-a-rational-explanation-of-human/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) > [This world of ours has been constructed like a superbly written novel: we pursue the tale with avidity, hoping to discover the plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/this-world-of-ours-has-been-constructed-like-a-superbly-written-novel/) [Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) [Explore all 36 Arthur Keith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/) ## More Agriculture quotes > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [As the first Member of Congress from western Washington to serve on the House Agriculture Committee in over 50 years, I am proud to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-larsen/as-the-first-member-of-congress-from-western-washington-to-serve-on/) [Rick Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-larsen/) > [Conventional agriculture has never succeeded in feeding the world, and it's never produced anything good to eat. For the future, we need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/conventional-agriculture-has-never-succeeded-in-feeding-the-world-and/) [Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/) > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [I grew up in Italy, and our country is a country of great agriculture and food produce. It wasn't like I was urban and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/i-grew-up-in-italy-and-our-country-is-a-country-of-great-agriculture/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [Farmers, get out your sense of humor. Congress meets to relieve you again next week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/farmers-get-out-your-sense-of-humor-congress-meets-to-relieve-you/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Sara Scherr and Jeff McNeely have given us a thoughtful, sensible book about a topic of great importance to the world. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-serageldin/sara-scherr-and-jeff-mcneely-have-given-us-a-thoughtful-sensible-book/) [Ismail Serageldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-serageldin/) > [People want development, modern thinking. They want to encourage and support research in agriculture and other fields.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/people-want-development-modern-thinking-they-want-to-encourage-and/) [Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [When politicians talk of loan waiver, they are accepting that agriculture is not economically viable. They are giving a wrong signal that farming is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-s-swaminathan/when-politicians-talk-of-loan-waiver-they-are-accepting-that/) [M. S. Swaminathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-s-swaminathan/) > [Nitrogen-based fertilizers, which came into wide use after World War II, helped prompt the agricultural revolution that has allowed the Earth to feed its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/nitrogen-based-fertilizers-which-came-into-wide-use-after-world-war/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [More than a mere alternative strategy, regenerative agriculture represents a fundamental shift in our culture’s relationship to nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/more-than-a-mere-alternative-strategy-regenerative-agriculture/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) [Browse all 889 Agriculture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Keith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-first-big-step-toward-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agriculture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-first-big-step-toward-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/arthur-keith-17817_agriculture_the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-fir_1520864.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/arthur-keith-17817_agriculture_the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-fir_1520864.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/arthur-keith-17817_agriculture_the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-fir_1520864.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life.” — Arthur Keith", "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": "Arthur Keith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-keith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The discovery of agriculture was the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-first-big-step-toward-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-keith/the-discovery-of-agriculture-was-the-first-big-step-toward-a/#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 } } ] } ```