--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In every civilization, life grows easier…" description: "\"In every civilization, life grows easier. Men grow lazier in consequence. We have a picture of what happened to the individual Greek. (I cannot look at..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edith-hamilton-7366_action_in-every-civilization-life-grows-easier_934422.jpg" --- # In every civilization, life grows easier. Men grow lazier… ![“In every civilization, life grows easier. Men grow lazier in consequence. We have a picture of what happened to the individual Greek. (I cannot look at history, or at any human action, except as I look at the individual.) The Greeks had good food, good witty talk, pleasant dinner parties; and they…” quote by Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edith-hamilton-7366_action_in-every-civilization-life-grows-easier_934422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edith-hamilton-7366_action_in-every-civilization-life-grows-easier_934422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/edith-hamilton-7366_action_in-every-civilization-life-grows-easier_934422.jpg) > “In every civilization, life grows easier. Men grow lazier in consequence. We have a picture of what happened to the individual Greek. (I cannot look at history, or at any human action, except as I look at the individual.) The Greeks had good food, good witty talk, pleasant dinner parties; and they were content. When the individual man had reached that condition in Athens, when the thought not of giving to the state but of what the state could give to him, Athens' freedom was doomed.” [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civilization's comforts lead to complacency, weakening civic responsibility and freedom. **In simple terms:** Ease breeds laziness, eroding civic duty. Key Takeaway Guard against complacency in prosperous societies. Themes civic responsibility freedom comfort complacency societal decay Mood reflective concerned Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - modern welfare states - urban planning - education policy - community engagement Key Concepts political philosophy social contract historical analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does comfort affect civic engagement? - What safeguards preserve freedom in affluent societies? A Different Perspective Comfort can mask underlying civic decline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Athens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athens/) [Athens Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athens-thought-1547811/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-life-1547813/) [Condition Athens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condition-athens-1547814/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [Dinner party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner-party/) [Doomed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doomed/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Entitlement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entitlement/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Good food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-food/) [Greek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek/) [Greeks Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greeks-good-1547810/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Human actions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-actions/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individual Greeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-greeks-1547812/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Pleasant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasant/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Witty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witty/) ## Related quotes > [The main reason for civilization is that life is more comfortable. 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The writings of the day show the quality of the people as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/a-people-s-literature-is-the-great-textbook-for-real-knowledge-of/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [“He drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek and make Hell grant what Love did seek. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/he-drew-iron-tears-down-pluto-s-cheek-and-make-hell-grant-what-love/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Mind and spirit together make up that which separates us from the rest of the animal world, that which enables a man to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/mind-and-spirit-together-make-up-that-which-separates-us-from-the/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [It has always seemed strange to me that in our endless discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/it-has-always-seemed-strange-to-me-that-in-our-endless-discussions/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [When we speak of beauty, we're speaking of something we're more or less indifferent to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/when-we-speak-of-beauty-we-re-speaking-of-something-we-re-more-or/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Love, however, cannot be forbidden. 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