--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because a promise is a promise, Officer…" description: "\"“Because a promise is a promise, Officer Cavatone, and civilization is just a bunch of promises, that’s all it is. A mortgage, a wedding vow, a promise..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/ben-h-winters-14454_falling-apart_because-a-promise-is-a-promise-officer-c_3062503.jpg" --- # Because a promise is a promise, Officer Cavatone, and… ![“Because a promise is a promise, Officer Cavatone, and civilization is just a bunch of promises, that’s all it is. A mortgage, a wedding vow, a promise to obey the law, a pledge to enforce it. And now the world is falling apart, the whole rickety world, and every broken promise is a small rock…” quote by Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/ben-h-winters-14454_falling-apart_because-a-promise-is-a-promise-officer-c_3062503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/ben-h-winters-14454_falling-apart_because-a-promise-is-a-promise-officer-c_3062503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/ben-h-winters-14454_falling-apart_because-a-promise-is-a-promise-officer-c_3062503.jpg) > ““Because a promise is a promise, Officer Cavatone, and civilization is just a bunch of promises, that’s all it is. A mortgage, a wedding vow, a promise to obey the law, a pledge to enforce it. And now the world is falling apart, the whole rickety world, and every broken promise is a small rock tossed at the wooden side of its tumbling form.”” [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Promises, from mortgages to laws, are the fragile foundations of civilization; each broken promise destabilizes society. **In simple terms:** Broken promises weaken society. Key Takeaway Honor commitments to sustain order. Themes society trust law Mood cautious reflective Type political philosophical When to use this quote - legal system - personal relationships - politics Key Concepts political theory social contract Questions to Reflect On - Which promises matter most? - How can we repair broken trust? A Different Perspective Not all promises are equally crucial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Falling apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-apart/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Promise Is A Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise-is-a-promise-228931/) [Promise Obey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise-obey-4726276/) [Promise Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise-promise-635966/) [Promises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promises/) [Promises Mortgage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promises-mortgage-5142907/) [Vow Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vow-promise-576868/) [Wedding vow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wedding-vow/) ## Related quotes > [“She would fain claim him fully, without giving up herself fully to him; but it can never be: while she retains her own name,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hudson-taylor/she-would-fain-claim-him-fully-without-giving-up-herself-fully-to-him/) [James Hudson Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hudson-taylor/) > [“I want to mention one other reason why we shy away from commitment. It is, very simply, the fear that we will not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/i-want-to-mention-one-other-reason-why-we-shy-away-from-commitment-it/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [Anyone who marries gets no guarantee that their partner, no matter what they vow, will always keep that promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-yoffe/anyone-who-marries-gets-no-guarantee-that-their-partner-no-matter/) [Emily Yoffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-yoffe/) > [“Rule #1 – Don’t get involved with clients Rule #2 – Don’t take out a woman who won’t eat Rule #3 – Don’t talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-christy/rule-1-don-t-get-involved-with-clients-rule-2-don-t-take-out-a-woman/) [Samantha Christy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-christy/) > [“Promise you’ll never let go of my hand?” He kissed her. It was the easiest vow he’d ever made. “Promise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mari-carr/promise-you-ll-never-let-go-of-my-hand-he-kissed-her-it-was-the/) [Mari Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mari-carr/) > [“For years, since the eighteenth century, and in each century since, we have said at home, in England, in Whitehall, that the day would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-scott/for-years-since-the-eighteenth-century-and-in-each-century-since-we/) [Paul Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-scott/) > [“When she finally grew still, a taut silence settled over them. From the corner of his eye he could see her worrying her lip,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/when-she-finally-grew-still-a-taut-silence-settled-over-them-from-the/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [\*Oh, I know I could say were through And tell myself I'm over you But even if I made a vow I promise not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/oh-i-know-i-could-say-were-through-and-tell-myself-i-m-over-you-but/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [“When everyone is seated, Galen uses a pot holder to remove the lid from the huge speckled pan in the center of the table.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-banks/when-everyone-is-seated-galen-uses-a-pot-holder-to-remove-the-lid/) [Anna Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-banks/) > [I promise to never go back on that promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-promise-to-never-go-back-on-that-promise/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [A beautiful girl can make you dizzy, like you've been drinking Jack and Coke all morning. She can make you feel high full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/a-beautiful-girl-can-make-you-dizzy-like-you-ve-been-drinking-jack/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [“Because it’s always been you, Sam. I promise. I promise. I promise, because when I look upon these stars, there is nothing I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/because-it-s-always-been-you-sam-i-promise-i-promise-i-promise/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) > [I can promise to be sincere, but I cannot promise to be impartial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-can-promise-to-be-sincere-but-i-cannot-promise-to-be-impartial/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [But it's as big as the promise, the promise of a coming day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-stills/but-it-s-as-big-as-the-promise-the-promise-of-a-coming-day/) [Stephen Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-stills/) > [An oath is a promise-and a promise can be made regardless of feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/an-oath-is-a-promise-and-a-promise-can-be-made-regardless-of-feeling/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) ## More by Ben H. Winters > [It is part of what makes America great. That tradition of the free press, and also the tradition of this highly competitive market for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/it-is-part-of-what-makes-america-great-that-tradition-of-the-free/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [“and no more real Dunkin’ Donuts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/and-no-more-real-dunkin-donuts/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [Fiction has this special power. It has a power to clarify, to galvanize, to prophesy, and warn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/fiction-has-this-special-power-it-has-a-power-to-clarify-to-galvanize/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [“every choice forecloses on other choices; each step forward leaves a thousand dead possible universes behind you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/every-choice-forecloses-on-other-choices-each-step-forward-leaves-a/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [I think that one thing fiction can offer, and must offer, is a place where someone's mind and their imagination can come to rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/i-think-that-one-thing-fiction-can-offer-and-must-offer-is-a-place/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [It is really something, the extent to which we allow ourselves to live without thinking of things that we know, in the abstract, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/it-is-really-something-the-extent-to-which-we-allow-ourselves-to-live/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [That one lesson that African American communities have learned over the centuries in America is that you can't just take for granted that things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/that-one-lesson-that-african-american-communities-have-learned-over/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [A pool of melancholy blooms in my chest and rushes into my body like deep-blue blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/a-pool-of-melancholy-blooms-in-my-chest-and-rushes-into-my-body-like/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [“The perseverance in this world, despite it all, of things done right. Carefully”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/the-perseverance-in-this-world-despite-it-all-of-things-done-right/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [In terms of optimism, I am optimistic. I do think that, in the long term, that America will right itself. I have to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/in-terms-of-optimism-i-am-optimistic-i-do-think-that-in-the-long-term/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [“would strap you, hands and feet, to a machine, turn a wheel to make you talk. Or even not to, just to watch you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/would-strap-you-hands-and-feet-to-a-machine-turn-a-wheel-to-make-you/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [ Here in America we have a man \[Donald Trump\] who is a master of a medium that is all about self-aggrandizement and/or cruelty to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/here-in-america-we-have-a-man-donald-trump-who-is-a-master-of-a/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [We spend so much time, these days, on forms of literature that don't rise to be literature, and I'm speaking about Twitter posts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/we-spend-so-much-time-these-days-on-forms-of-literature-that-don-t/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [“He books it into that little playground there. I mean the guy is zooming like the Road Runner, skidding through the gravel and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/he-books-it-into-that-little-playground-there-i-mean-the-guy-is/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [“She was reserved and cold, as if having been stolen from her native village in a burlap sack and made to be servant and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/she-was-reserved-and-cold-as-if-having-been-stolen-from-her-native/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) [Explore all 46 Ben H. Winters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) ## More Falling apart quotes > [Shes talking to angels counting the stars, making a wish on a passing car dancing with strangers falling apart waiting for superman to pick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/shes-talking-to-angels-counting-the-stars-making-a-wish-on-a-passing/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience/) > [Sometimes when things seem to be falling apart, they are actually falling into place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-things-seem-to-be-falling-apart-they-are-actually/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's always a race against time. I don't think for one moment that life gets better. How can it? One's body starts to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-grahame/there-s-always-a-race-against-time-i-don-t-think-for-one-moment-that/) [Gloria Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-grahame/) > [The truth will form and fall apart again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-slean/the-truth-will-form-and-fall-apart-again/) [Sarah Slean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-slean/) > [If you're feeling pain, express that to the Lord. If you're feeling worried, express those worries. One passage that gives me comfort is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/if-you-re-feeling-pain-express-that-to-the-lord-if-you-re-feeling/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Or maybe a person is just made up of a lot of peopleMaybe we’re accumulating these new selves all the time. Hauling them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/or-maybe-a-person-is-just-made-up-of-a-lot-of-peoplemaybe-we-re/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [We're not falling in love. We're just falling apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-re-not-falling-in-love-we-re-just-falling-apart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Where were you When everything was falling apart? All my days Were spent by the telephone That never rang And all I needed was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-fray/where-were-you-when-everything-was-falling-apart-all-my-days-were/) [The Fray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-fray/) > [Prayer keeps us together in a Nation that's falling apart... NIGERIA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/efiosiugbore/prayer-keeps-us-together-in-a-nation-that-s-falling-apart-nigeria/) [@efiosiugbore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/efiosiugbore/) > [Russia can fall apart. 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