--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in a society in which all…" description: "\"“We live in a society in which all transcendent values have been removed and thus there is no moral standard by which anyone can say right is right and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d1/charles-w-colson-12999_right-and-wrong_we-live-in-a-society-in-which-all-transc_35846.jpg" --- # We live in a society in which all transcendent values have… ![“We live in a society in which all transcendent values have been removed and thus there is no moral standard by which anyone can say right is right and wrong is wrong. What we live in is, in the memorable image of Richard Neuhaus, a naked public square.” quote by Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d1/charles-w-colson-12999_right-and-wrong_we-live-in-a-society-in-which-all-transc_35846.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d1/charles-w-colson-12999_right-and-wrong_we-live-in-a-society-in-which-all-transc_35846.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d1/charles-w-colson-12999_right-and-wrong_we-live-in-a-society-in-which-all-transc_35846.jpg) > ““We live in a society in which all transcendent values have been removed and thus there is no moral standard by which anyone can say right is right and wrong is wrong. What we live in is, in the memorable image of Richard Neuhaus, a naked public square.”” [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that modern society has shed any absolute moral framework, leaving only a public arena where judgments are purely subjective. **In simple terms:** Loss of universal morals Key Takeaway Morality is now a social construct Themes Moral relativism Secularism Public sphere Cultural decay Subjectivity Mood Cynical Reflective Type Philosophical Critical When to use this quote - Political discourse - Media commentary - Academic debate - Civic activism Key Concepts Ethics Societal values Philosophy of law Practical Applications - Ethics education - Policy analysis Questions to Reflect On - What would a shared moral standard look like today? - How does the absence of transcendent values affect lawmaking? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moral Standard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-standard-440838/) [Naked Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naked-public-396113/) [Neuhaus Naked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neuhaus-naked-440836/) [Removed Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/removed-moral-440839/) [Right and wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-and-wrong/) [Society Transcendent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-transcendent-440837/) [Wrong Is Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-is-wrong/) ## Related quotes > [I have had my television aerials removed. It is the moral equivalent of a prostate operation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/i-have-had-my-television-aerials-removed-it-is-the-moral-equivalent/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [“But the most dangerous consequence of the naked public square is the loss of community.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/but-the-most-dangerous-consequence-of-the-naked-public-square-is-the/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“The naked public square cannot remain naked, the direction is toward the state-as-church, toward totalitarianism.”6”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/the-naked-public-square-cannot-remain-naked-the-direction-is-toward/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [My job as art critic is to watch artists dance naked in public, and then I will, in turn, dance naked critically in public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/my-job-as-art-critic-is-to-watch-artists-dance-naked-in-public-and/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The fact is that I have lived with the belief that power, any kind of power, was the one thing forbidden to poets. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/the-fact-is-that-i-have-lived-with-the-belief-that-power-any-kind-of/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“Writing books is a socially acceptable form of getting naked in public.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/writing-books-is-a-socially-acceptable-form-of-getting-naked-in-public/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Richard John Neuhaus, in his well-known book The Naked Public Square, tells us that in America, the public square has become openly hostile to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/richard-john-neuhaus-in-his-well-known-book-the-naked-public-square/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [Writing is a socially acceptable form of getting naked in public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/writing-is-a-socially-acceptable-form-of-getting-naked-in-public/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Recreation in the open is of the finest grade. The moral benefits are all positive. The individual with any soul cannot live long in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-carhart/recreation-in-the-open-is-of-the-finest-grade-the-moral-benefits-are/) [Arthur Carhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-carhart/) > [I just do what I feel and what I like. I don't necessarily censor or feel an obligation to have a particular moral standard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-just-do-what-i-feel-and-what-i-like-i-don-t-necessarily-censor-or/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [“A country without Moral standard, is like a nation without walls and borders - anything goes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-akhagbeme/a-country-without-moral-standard-is-like-a-nation-without-walls-and/) [Josephine Akhagbeme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-akhagbeme/) > [I support the higher moral standard that this country has decided to hold itself to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-haspel/i-support-the-higher-moral-standard-that-this-country-has-decided-to/) [Gina Haspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-haspel/) > [“Life cannot remain tolerable unless we learn to let each other alone in all matters that are not of immediate and obvious concern to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/life-cannot-remain-tolerable-unless-we-learn-to-let-each-other-alone/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [People who reject transcendent authority can no longer persuade one another through rational arguments; everything is reduced to personal opinion. Debates about ideas thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-colson/people-who-reject-transcendent-authority-can-no-longer-persuade-one/) [Charles Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-colson/) > [“Wolf apparently holds me to some kind of moral standard that he himself doesn't even observe but thinks I should.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alecia-whitaker/wolf-apparently-holds-me-to-some-kind-of-moral-standard-that-he/) [Alecia Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alecia-whitaker/) ## More by Charles W. Colson > [“But the most dangerous consequence of the naked public square is the loss of community.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/but-the-most-dangerous-consequence-of-the-naked-public-square-is-the/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“Capitalism is astonishingly efficient at generating new wealth, but it operates beneficently only when the market is shaped by moral forces coming from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/capitalism-is-astonishingly-efficient-at-generating-new-wealth-but-it/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves,” He said.8”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/the-greatest-among-you-should-be-like-the-youngest-and-the-one-who/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“(Phil. 4:8). Notice that Paul doesn't limit that principle to spiritual things; he says if anything is excellent. Paul is telling us to train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/phil-4-8-notice-that-paul-doesn-t-limit-that-principle-to-spiritual/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“The greatest question of our time is not communism versus individualism, not Europe versus America, not even the East versus the West; it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/the-greatest-question-of-our-time-is-not-communism-versus/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“Our character is determined not by our circumstances but by our reaction to those circumstances.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/our-character-is-determined-not-by-our-circumstances-but-by-our/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“Millions more are addicted to Internet pornography, which has led to a horrific increase in the sexual exploitation of children and attacks on young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/millions-more-are-addicted-to-internet-pornography-which-has-led-to-a/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“The Supreme Court’s working definition of religion, “A sincere and meaningful belief which occupies in the life of its possessor a place parallel to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/the-supreme-court-s-working-definition-of-religion-a-sincere-and/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“But, the skeptic asks, what about the person who never hears the gospel? The apostle Paul tells us that all are without excuse because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/but-the-skeptic-asks-what-about-the-person-who-never-hears-the-gospel/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“Who is to decide what are the ‘right’ values?” wrote a professor of education. “Does ultimate moral authority lie with institutions such as church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/who-is-to-decide-what-are-the-right-values-wrote-a-professor-of/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“The Bible teaches that there is a holy God whose law constitutes a transcendent, universally valid standard of right and wrong. Our choice has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/the-bible-teaches-that-there-is-a-holy-god-whose-law-constitutes-a/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“What they fail to reckon with, however, is the reverse of that slogan: if nothing is worth dying for, is anything worth living for?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/what-they-fail-to-reckon-with-however-is-the-reverse-of-that-slogan/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“The question for the child is not, 'Do I want to be good?"' Bettelheim writes, "but Who do I want to be like?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/the-question-for-the-child-is-not-do-i-want-to-be-good-bettelheim/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“It's not simply that communists are atheists and want to stamp out religion; it's that they cannot tolerate anyone who worships a King who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/it-s-not-simply-that-communists-are-atheists-and-want-to-stamp-out/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“Christian patriots spend more time washing feet than waving flags.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/christian-patriots-spend-more-time-washing-feet-than-waving-flags/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) [Explore all 52 Charles W. Colson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) ## More Right and wrong quotes > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. 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Jamie thinks it was the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rozett/i-did-the-wrong-thing-and-i-lost-him-for-real-but-did-you-do-the/) [Louise Rozett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rozett/) > [Now is the time to understand That all your ideas of right and wrong Were just a child's training wheelsTo be laid aside When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/now-is-the-time-to-understand-that-all-your-ideas-of-right-and-wrong/) [Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/) > [“It is the eternal struggle between these two principles - right and wrong - throughout the world. They are the two principles that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/it-is-the-eternal-struggle-between-these-two-principles-right-and/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [You can see the rider serving the elephant when people are morally dumbfounded. 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