--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Civilization is maintained by a very few…" description: "\"Civilization is maintained by a very few people in a small number of places and we need only some bombs and a few prisons to blot it out altogether.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/cyril-connolly-1829_bombs_civilization-is-maintained-by-a-very-few_2581462.png" --- # Civilization is maintained by a very few people in a small… ![“Civilization is maintained by a very few people in a small number of places and we need only some bombs and a few prisons to blot it out altogether.” quote by Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/cyril-connolly-1829_bombs_civilization-is-maintained-by-a-very-few_2581462.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/cyril-connolly-1829_bombs_civilization-is-maintained-by-a-very-few_2581462.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/cyril-connolly-1829_bombs_civilization-is-maintained-by-a-very-few_2581462.png) > “Civilization is maintained by a very few people in a small number of places and we need only some bombs and a few prisons to blot it out altogether.” [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power structures are upheld by a tiny elite; force can erase them quickly. **In simple terms:** Few control civilization; force can destroy it. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge concentrated power. Themes politics power control violence society Mood defiant critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - government policy - activism - journalism - human rights advocacy Key Concepts elitism authoritarianism repression Questions to Reflect On - Who holds true power in your community? - How can small actions counteract systemic oppression? A Different Perspective Power is not always visible; resistance can be suppressed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Maintained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-maintained-1781981/) [Need Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-bombs-1781982/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-small-503019/) [Small Number](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-number-309863/) ## Related quotes > [I think that we in our family don't need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace - just get together, love one another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/i-think-that-we-in-our-family-don-t-need-bombs-and-guns-to-destroy-to/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [We don't need bombs and guns to destroy, to bring peace - just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/we-don-t-need-bombs-and-guns-to-destroy-to-bring-peace-just-get/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“Small is the number of them that see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/small-is-the-number-of-them-that-see-with-their-own-eyes-and-feel/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It is a great thing to start life with a small number of really good books which are your very own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-a-great-thing-to-start-life-with-a-small-number-of-really-good/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [One is too small a number to achieve greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-is-too-small-a-number-to-achieve-greatness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A small number of people can make a lot of noise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/a-small-number-of-people-can-make-a-lot-of-noise/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [We've had risk assessments performed by Harvard University, which said that even if we did have a small number of cases in this country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-veneman/we-ve-had-risk-assessments-performed-by-harvard-university-which-said/) [Ann Veneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-veneman/) > [For me, one of the things that makes the X-Men so crucial is they are relatively small in number but they have the potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-claremont/for-me-one-of-the-things-that-makes-the-x-men-so-crucial-is-they-are/) [Chris Claremont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-claremont/) > [The purists are small in number but, you know hardy of voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-thile/the-purists-are-small-in-number-but-you-know-hardy-of-voice/) [Chris Thile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-thile/) > [A life is made up of a great number of small incidents, and a small number of great ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/a-life-is-made-up-of-a-great-number-of-small-incidents-and-a-small/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Small is the number of people who see with their eyes and think with their minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/small-is-the-number-of-people-who-see-with-their-eyes-and-think-with/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [In the period of '60s to the '90s, British art schools were small, and the number of student was small. The personal contact was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/in-the-period-of-60s-to-the-90s-british-art-schools-were-small-and/) [Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part-2/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It seems to me that the soul, when alone with itself and speaking to itself, uses only a small number of words, none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/it-seems-to-me-that-the-soul-when-alone-with-itself-and-speaking-to/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## More by Cyril Connolly > [Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice; journalism what will be read once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/literature-is-the-art-of-writing-something-that-will-be-read-twice/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [There is no fury like a woman searching for a new lover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/there-is-no-fury-like-a-woman-searching-for-a-new-lover/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [Beautiful women must think about their beauty as capitalists think about their investments or politicians about their majorities; it is all they have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/beautiful-women-must-think-about-their-beauty-as-capitalists-think/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [We cannot be happy until we can love ourselves without egotism and our friends without tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/we-cannot-be-happy-until-we-can-love-ourselves-without-egotism-and/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [What grape to keep its place in the sun, taught our ancestors to make wine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/what-grape-to-keep-its-place-in-the-sun-taught-our-ancestors-to-make/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [“Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/literature-is-the-art-of-writing-something-that-will-be-read-twice-2/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [“Our memories are card-indexes consulted and then put back in disorder by authorities whom we do not control.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/our-memories-are-card-indexes-consulted-and-then-put-back-in-disorder/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [Were I to deduce any system from my feelings on leaving Eton, it might be called The Theory of Permanent Adolescence. 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