--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You're captives of a civilizational…" description: "\"“You're captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live... I think there are many amon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/daniel-quinn-1786_captives_you-re-captives-of-a-civilizational-syst_3032729.png" --- # You're captives of a civilizational system that more or… ![“You're captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live... I think there are many among you who would be glad to release the world from captivity... This is what prevents them: They're unable to find the bars of the cage.” quote by Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/daniel-quinn-1786_captives_you-re-captives-of-a-civilizational-syst_3032729.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/daniel-quinn-1786_captives_you-re-captives-of-a-civilizational-syst_3032729.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/daniel-quinn-1786_captives_you-re-captives-of-a-civilizational-syst_3032729.png) > ““You're captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live... I think there are many among you who would be glad to release the world from captivity... This is what prevents them: They're unable to find the bars of the cage.”” [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human civilization traps us in destructive cycles; recognizing the constraints can free us to protect the planet. **In simple terms:** Awareness of societal cages enables environmental liberation. Key Takeaway Identify and break the systems that harm Earth. Themes environment systems thinking freedom Mood reflective urgent Type philosophical activist When to use this quote - consumer culture - industrial policy - urban planning - personal lifestyle Key Concepts ecology philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - What "bars" keep you from sustainable living? - How can you inspire others to see beyond societal constraints? A Different Perspective Breaking entrenched systems can be overwhelming and meet resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Captives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captives/) [Captives Civilizational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captives-civilizational-1129193/) [Captivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captivity/) [Captivity Prevents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captivity-prevents-4962055/) [World Captivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-captivity-4962054/) ## Related quotes > [You're captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live. … You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/you-re-captives-of-a-civilizational-system-that-more-or-less-compels-2/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“You’re captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/you-re-captives-of-a-civilizational-system-that-more-or-less-compels/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [Even if I am simply one more woman laying one more brick in the foundation of a new and more humane world, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-chicago/even-if-i-am-simply-one-more-woman-laying-one-more-brick-in-the/) [Judy Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-chicago/) > [Americans love their captivity. There's no responsibility. When you're a captive, you don't have to make a decision about anything, though you have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eustace-mullins/americans-love-their-captivity-there-s-no-responsibility-when-you-re/) [Eustace Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eustace-mullins/) > [The resurrection power of Jesus broke Satan's captive power. When He led the Old Testament saints from paradise to heaven, He led captivity captive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-morris/the-resurrection-power-of-jesus-broke-satan-s-captive-power-when-he/) [Leon Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-morris/) > [Use gentle methods to get whatever good you can from priests and monks who are slaves, as well as from merchants and captives. Resort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/use-gentle-methods-to-get-whatever-good-you-can-from-priests-and/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [“They made an ingenuous and disorganized effort to escape from captivity but ultimately failed, because they were unable to find the bars of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/they-made-an-ingenuous-and-disorganized-effort-to-escape-from/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [We are all captives of a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/we-are-all-captives-of-a-story/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [The world is not going to survive very much longer as humanity's captive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/the-world-is-not-going-to-survive-very-much-longer-as-humanity-s/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [Make me a captive Lord, then I shall be truly free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/make-me-a-captive-lord-then-i-shall-be-truly-free/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Of all the jaw-droppingly beautiful women who've become genuine movie stars, none has had a longer film career (62 years), has been filmed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-osborne/of-all-the-jaw-droppingly-beautiful-women-who-ve-become-genuine-movie/) [Robert Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-osborne/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [My favorite job is being a father. I have four girls now. They're a captive audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-willis/my-favorite-job-is-being-a-father-i-have-four-girls-now-they-re-a/) [Bruce Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-willis/) > [People without an internalized symbolic system can all too easily become captives of the media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/people-without-an-internalized-symbolic-system-can-all-too-easily/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [The creative writer is usually captive to his next book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-hurst/the-creative-writer-is-usually-captive-to-his-next-book/) [Fannie Hurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-hurst/) ## More by Daniel Quinn > [“Because we imagine that we are what humanity was divinely destined to become, we assume that our prehistoric ancestors were trying to be us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/because-we-imagine-that-we-are-what-humanity-was-divinely-destined-to/) [daniel quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [The deer aren't our prey or our possessions -- they're us. They're us at one point in the cycle of life and we're them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/the-deer-aren-t-our-prey-or-our-possessions-they-re-us-they-re-us-at/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [ “\[N\]ow we have a clearer idea what this story is all about: The world was made for man, and man was made to rule… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/n-ow-we-have-a-clearer-idea-what-this-story-is-all-about-the-world/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [The premise of the Taker story is 'the world belongs to man'. … The premise of the Leaver story is 'man belongs to the world'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/the-premise-of-the-taker-story-is-the-world-belongs-to-man-the/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“Pharaohs It took Khufu twenty-three years to build his Great Pyramid at Giza, where some eleven hundred stone blocks, each weighing about two and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/pharaohs-it-took-khufu-twenty-three-years-to-build-his-great-pyramid/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [Man's destiny was to conquer and rule the world, and this is what he's done.. almost. He hasn't quite made it, and it looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/man-s-destiny-was-to-conquer-and-rule-the-world-and-this-is-what-he-s/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“Many peoples practiced agriculture, but they were never obsessed by the delusion that what they were doing was \*right\*, that everyone in the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/many-peoples-practiced-agriculture-but-they-were-never-obsessed-by/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“No undesirable behavior has ever been eliminated by passing a law against it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/no-undesirable-behavior-has-ever-been-eliminated-by-passing-a-law/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“How easy it is first to leap to a false conclusion about someone and then to view everything he does in light of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/how-easy-it-is-first-to-leap-to-a-false-conclusion-about-someone-and/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [Far and away the most futile admonition Christ ever offered was when he said, 'Have no care for tomorrow. Don't worry about whether you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/far-and-away-the-most-futile-admonition-christ-ever-offered-was-when/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [During your lifetime, the people of our culture are going to figure out how to live sustainably on this planet--or they're not. Either way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/during-your-lifetime-the-people-of-our-culture-are-going-to-figure/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“Everyone in your culture knows this. Man was born to turn the world into a paradise, but tragically he was born flawed. And so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/everyone-in-your-culture-knows-this-man-was-born-to-turn-the-world/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [Most beginning writers - and I was the same - are like chefs trying to cook great dishes that they've never tasted themselves. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/most-beginning-writers-and-i-was-the-same-are-like-chefs-trying-to/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“Westereners often think that the East is one vast Buddhist temple, which is rather like thinking the West is one vast Carthusian monastery. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/westereners-often-think-that-the-east-is-one-vast-buddhist-temple/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“Man's destiny was to conquer and rule the world, and this is what he's done--almost. He hasn't quite made it, and it looks as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/man-s-destiny-was-to-conquer-and-rule-the-world-and-this-is-what-he-s-2/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) [Explore all 208 Daniel Quinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) ## More Captives quotes > [The creative writer is usually captive to his next book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-hurst/the-creative-writer-is-usually-captive-to-his-next-book/) [Fannie Hurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-hurst/) > [People without an internalized symbolic system can all too easily become captives of the media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/people-without-an-internalized-symbolic-system-can-all-too-easily/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [My favorite job is being a father. I have four girls now. They're a captive audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-willis/my-favorite-job-is-being-a-father-i-have-four-girls-now-they-re-a/) [Bruce Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-willis/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Of all the jaw-droppingly beautiful women who've become genuine movie stars, none has had a longer film career (62 years), has been filmed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-osborne/of-all-the-jaw-droppingly-beautiful-women-who-ve-become-genuine-movie/) [Robert Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-osborne/) > [Make me a captive Lord, then I shall be truly free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/make-me-a-captive-lord-then-i-shall-be-truly-free/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [As long as we're dependent on those fossil fuels, we're dependent on the Middle East. If we are not victims, we're certainly captives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-mchugh/as-long-as-we-re-dependent-on-those-fossil-fuels-we-re-dependent-on/) [John M. McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-mchugh/) > [Jah come to break downpression, rule equality, wipe away transgression, set the captives free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/jah-come-to-break-downpression-rule-equality-wipe-away-transgression/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [“Though the captives' resistance was dangerous, through such acts, dignity was preserved, and through dignity, life itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/though-the-captives-resistance-was-dangerous-through-such-acts/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [The state is captive to vested interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanusi-lamido-sanusi/the-state-is-captive-to-vested-interests/) [Sanusi Lamido Sanusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanusi-lamido-sanusi/) > [“...you go back to liberate the captives and sadly realize, some want to remain tied down in the cave...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-go-back-to-liberate-the-captives-and-sadly-realize-some-want-to/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“So, very soon our captives will meet their small countrywoman again. How grateful they must be to have a pleasant ride, with us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rodda/so-very-soon-our-captives-will-meet-their-small-countrywoman-again/) [Emily Rodda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rodda/) > [The cry for freedom is a sign of suppression. It will not cease to ring as long as man feels himself captive. As diverse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/the-cry-for-freedom-is-a-sign-of-suppression-it-will-not-cease-to/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [Words have to murder reality before they can hold it captive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/words-have-to-murder-reality-before-they-can-hold-it-captive/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [It would drive the photographers crazy because I would giggle and tell jokes. I was gregarious, and looking back, I realize I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/it-would-drive-the-photographers-crazy-because-i-would-giggle-and/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 176 Captives quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captives/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You're captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live... I think there are many among you who would be glad to release the world from captivity... 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