--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is true that Britain and its…" description: "\"It is true that Britain and its institutions have survived past crises, but often this was because those in charge, at a certain point, snapped out of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/david-olusoga-5812_institutions_it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institut_1999672.jpg" --- # It is true that Britain and its institutions have survived… ![“It is true that Britain and its institutions have survived past crises, but often this was because those in charge, at a certain point, snapped out of the stupor of latent optimism, recognised the dangers circling the nation and acted.” quote by David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/david-olusoga-5812_institutions_it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institut_1999672.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/david-olusoga-5812_institutions_it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institut_1999672.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/david-olusoga-5812_institutions_it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institut_1999672.jpg) > “It is true that Britain and its institutions have survived past crises, but often this was because those in charge, at a certain point, snapped out of the stupor of latent optimism, recognised the dangers circling the nation and acted.” [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societies survive crises when leaders recognize danger and act decisively, breaking complacency. **In simple terms:** Crisis needs decisive leadership. Key Takeaway Stay alert and act when problems appear. Themes leadership crisis action Mood analytical urgent Type political historical When to use this quote - government policy - organizational change - community response Key Concepts political science history decision theory Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a crisis is brewing? - How can leaders avoid complacency? A Different Perspective Overreliance on optimism can delay necessary action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Britain Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain-institutions-2613217/) [Crises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crises/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Institutions Survived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions-survived-3511191/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimism Recognised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism-recognised-3511193/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Crises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-crises-3511192/) [True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true/) ## Related quotes > [Britain is not a country that is easily rocked by revolution... In Britain our institutions evolve. We are a Fabian Society writ large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton/britain-is-not-a-country-that-is-easily-rocked-by-revolution-in/) [William Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton/) > [“Generally, crises were Mom's domain. Dad's job was to listen, nod, act curmudgeonly, and offer to pay for things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-wingate/generally-crises-were-mom-s-domain-dad-s-job-was-to-listen-nod-act/) [Lisa Wingate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-wingate/) > [Over the years, I've been involved in many business crises. I qualify this, since my crises have never involved life and death or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-feld/over-the-years-i-ve-been-involved-in-many-business-crises-i-qualify/) [Brad Feld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-feld/) > [In the seed and the soil, we find the answers to every one of the crises we face. The crises of violence and war.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/in-the-seed-and-the-soil-we-find-the-answers-to-every-one-of-the/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [In modern political society it is probably a fact that national leadership can heighten foreign crises to the point where war becomes almost inevitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ekirch/in-modern-political-society-it-is-probably-a-fact-that-national/) [Arthur Ekirch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ekirch/) > [In the immediate postwar era, financial crises in advanced countries were rare events, and before 1970 did not happen at all. Since then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-m-taylor/in-the-immediate-postwar-era-financial-crises-in-advanced-countries/) [Alan M. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-m-taylor/) > [From the beginning, we failed to overcome Europe's division. The Berlin Wall fell, but invisible walls were moved to the East of Europe. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/from-the-beginning-we-failed-to-overcome-europe-s-division-the-berlin/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [When established identities become outworn or unfinished ones threaten to remain incomplete, special crises compel men to wage holy wars, by the cruelest means,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-established-identities-become-outworn-or-unfinished-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Real change doesn't come without crisis. Childbirth doesn't come without crisis. I think that's happening with humanity now. Our growth has generated multiple crises...and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/real-change-doesn-t-come-without-crisis-childbirth-doesn-t-come/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [God doesn't want your crises-mode promises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrin-patrick/god-doesn-t-want-your-crises-mode-promises/) [Darrin Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrin-patrick/) > [Whenever I get on stage, I feel safe and in control. Life can be so uncertain, but on stage, I always know how a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-o-mara/whenever-i-get-on-stage-i-feel-safe-and-in-control-life-can-be-so/) [Kate O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-o-mara/) > [“It’s only going to take another week of this and we’re going to have the mother of all humanitarian crises on our hands. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-f-hamilton/it-s-only-going-to-take-another-week-of-this-and-we-re-going-to-have/) [Peter F. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-f-hamilton/) > [Because when I have been busy at the United Nations during crises, it has meant working day and night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-frederick/because-when-i-have-been-busy-at-the-united-nations-during-crises-it/) [Pauline Frederick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-frederick/) > [I go through major crises every few months, but then I have great peaks of belief and creativity. I'm a weird kind of animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-may/i-go-through-major-crises-every-few-months-but-then-i-have-great/) [Brian May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-may/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) ## More by David Olusoga > [I was born in Africa but brought up in the north-east of England. Most of my childhood was spent living on a council estate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/i-was-born-in-africa-but-brought-up-in-the-north-east-of-england-most/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Donald Trump did not cause America's democratic crisis of faith, he rode to power on it. Once in control, he and other populists discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/donald-trump-did-not-cause-america-s-democratic-crisis-of-faith-he/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Talking about class and identity can be as divisive as talking about race and racism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/talking-about-class-and-identity-can-be-as-divisive-as-talking-about/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [I only ever wanted to do history, and make documentaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/i-only-ever-wanted-to-do-history-and-make-documentaries/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Britain in the 19th century was two things simultaneously; the hub of the largest empire on earth and the greatest manufacturing and trading nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/britain-in-the-19th-century-was-two-things-simultaneously-the-hub-of/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [1819 was a year of hunger, mass unemployment, political repression and murderous, state-sanctioned violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/1819-was-a-year-of-hunger-mass-unemployment-political-repression-and/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Whether we like it or not, there are moments in history when pessimism is the appropriate response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/whether-we-like-it-or-not-there-are-moments-in-history-when-pessimism/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [In the case of the second world war the distorting factor is not poetry but our seemingly insatiable need to view the war through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/in-the-case-of-the-second-world-war-the-distorting-factor-is-not/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [I disagreed with my teachers on pretty much everything, including what grades I was going to get at A-level. I was sure I'd pass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/i-disagreed-with-my-teachers-on-pretty-much-everything-including-what/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Democratically elected governments meekly requesting giant corporations to pay pitifully low levels of tax on their enormous profits is not a good look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/democratically-elected-governments-meekly-requesting-giant/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [At 18, I stood in the Louvre in front of the paintings that TV had first shown me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/at-18-i-stood-in-the-louvre-in-front-of-the-paintings-that-tv-had/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [I have met other black and mixed-race people who were victims of racism, often far worse than anything I experienced, and who have taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/i-have-met-other-black-and-mixed-race-people-who-were-victims-of/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [The great untruth around which everything pivots is the idea that the defenders of these statues are the defenders of history and truth; while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/the-great-untruth-around-which-everything-pivots-is-the-idea-that-the/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [The age of national leaders, or candidates for high office, has never been automatically regarded as an issue for concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/the-age-of-national-leaders-or-candidates-for-high-office-has-never/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Humans are pattern-seeking animals, consciously and subconsciously imposing designs and theories on to past events. We do this in both our private lives and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/humans-are-pattern-seeking-animals-consciously-and-subconsciously/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) [Explore all 100 David Olusoga quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) ## More Crises quotes > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I go through major crises every few months, but then I have great peaks of belief and creativity. I'm a weird kind of animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-may/i-go-through-major-crises-every-few-months-but-then-i-have-great/) [Brian May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-may/) > [Because when I have been busy at the United Nations during crises, it has meant working day and night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-frederick/because-when-i-have-been-busy-at-the-united-nations-during-crises-it/) [Pauline Frederick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-frederick/) > [“It’s only going to take another week of this and we’re going to have the mother of all humanitarian crises on our hands. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-f-hamilton/it-s-only-going-to-take-another-week-of-this-and-we-re-going-to-have/) [Peter F. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-f-hamilton/) > [Whenever I get on stage, I feel safe and in control. Life can be so uncertain, but on stage, I always know how a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-o-mara/whenever-i-get-on-stage-i-feel-safe-and-in-control-life-can-be-so/) [Kate O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-o-mara/) > [God doesn't want your crises-mode promises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrin-patrick/god-doesn-t-want-your-crises-mode-promises/) [Darrin Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrin-patrick/) > [Real change doesn't come without crisis. Childbirth doesn't come without crisis. I think that's happening with humanity now. Our growth has generated multiple crises...and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/real-change-doesn-t-come-without-crisis-childbirth-doesn-t-come/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [When established identities become outworn or unfinished ones threaten to remain incomplete, special crises compel men to wage holy wars, by the cruelest means,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-established-identities-become-outworn-or-unfinished-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [From the beginning, we failed to overcome Europe's division. The Berlin Wall fell, but invisible walls were moved to the East of Europe. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/from-the-beginning-we-failed-to-overcome-europe-s-division-the-berlin/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [In the immediate postwar era, financial crises in advanced countries were rare events, and before 1970 did not happen at all. Since then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-m-taylor/in-the-immediate-postwar-era-financial-crises-in-advanced-countries/) [Alan M. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-m-taylor/) > [In modern political society it is probably a fact that national leadership can heighten foreign crises to the point where war becomes almost inevitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ekirch/in-modern-political-society-it-is-probably-a-fact-that-national/) [Arthur Ekirch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ekirch/) > [In the seed and the soil, we find the answers to every one of the crises we face. The crises of violence and war.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/in-the-seed-and-the-soil-we-find-the-answers-to-every-one-of-the/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [Over the years, I've been involved in many business crises. I qualify this, since my crises have never involved life and death or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-feld/over-the-years-i-ve-been-involved-in-many-business-crises-i-qualify/) [Brad Feld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-feld/) > [“Generally, crises were Mom's domain. Dad's job was to listen, nod, act curmudgeonly, and offer to pay for things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-wingate/generally-crises-were-mom-s-domain-dad-s-job-was-to-listen-nod-act/) [Lisa Wingate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-wingate/) > [Crisis and pressure help foster change - that's why I'm not so pessimistic towards crises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/crisis-and-pressure-help-foster-change-that-s-why-i-m-not-so/) [Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/) [Browse all 198 Crises quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crises/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is true that Britain and its institutions have survived past crises, but often this was because those in charge, at a certain point, snapped out of the stupor of latent optimism, recognised the dangers circling the nation and acted.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Olusoga" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institutions-have-survived-past/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crises" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institutions-have-survived-past/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/david-olusoga-5812_institutions_it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institut_1999672.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/david-olusoga-5812_institutions_it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institut_1999672.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/david-olusoga-5812_institutions_it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institut_1999672.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is true that Britain and its institutions have survived past crises, but often this was because those in…” — David Olusoga", "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": "David Olusoga", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is true that Britain and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institutions-have-survived-past/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/it-is-true-that-britain-and-its-institutions-have-survived-past/#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 } } ] } ```