---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...it is plain that the proportion of…"
description: "\"“...it is plain that the proportion of celibates was high in the Roman empire and that the fall in the fertility of marriages was going on. It is the c..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/eileen-power-59513_birthrates_it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celib_720328.jpg"
---

#  ...it is plain that the proportion of celibates was high…

![“...it is plain that the proportion of celibates was high in the Roman empire and that the fall in the fertility of marriages was going on. It is the childless marriage, the small family system that contemporary writers deplore…'The human harvest was bad,' It was bad in all classes, but the decline…” quote by Eileen Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/eileen-power-59513_birthrates_it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celib_720328.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/eileen-power-59513_birthrates_it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celib_720328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/eileen-power-59513_birthrates_it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celib_720328.jpg)

> ““...it is plain that the proportion of celibates was high in the Roman empire and that the fall in the fertility of marriages was going on. It is the childless marriage, the small family system that contemporary writers deplore…'The human harvest was bad,' It was bad in all classes, but the decline was most marked in the upper ranks, the most educated, the most civilized, the potential leaders of the race.””

[Eileen Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-power/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage notes high celibacy and childless marriages in Rome, linking them to societal decline among elites.

**In simple terms:** Roman celibacy linked to elite decline.

Key Takeaway

Recognize social patterns affecting demographics.

Themes

history demography societal change

Mood

analytical thoughtful academic

Type

historical social

When to use this quote

- historical analysis
- policy planning
- education
- public health

Key Concepts

population decline family structure elite behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- What other factors contributed?
- How can modern societies avoid similar trends?

A Different Perspective

Historical causation is complex and multifactorial.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Childlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childlessness/) [Civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilisation/) [Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline/) [Eugenics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eugenics/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Fertility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fertility/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Small family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-family/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [Celibates replace sentiment by habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-moore/celibates-replace-sentiment-by-habits/)

[George Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-moore/)

> [Solitude, community, and ministry are certainly not just for celibates! Celibates also have a hard time keeping up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/solitude-community-and-ministry-are-certainly-not-just-for-celibates/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

## More by Eileen Power

> [“There is the familiar figure of Orosius, defending the barbarians with the argument that when the Roman empire was founded it was founded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-power/there-is-the-familiar-figure-of-orosius-defending-the-barbarians-with/)

[Eileen Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-power/)

> [“Sidonius lives in a world already half barbarian, yet in the year before the Western Empire falls he is still dreaming of the consulship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-power/sidonius-lives-in-a-world-already-half-barbarian-yet-in-the-year/)

[Eileen Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-power/)

> [“In the first place the process of disintegration was a slow one, for the whole tempo of life was slow and what might take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-power/in-the-first-place-the-process-of-disintegration-was-a-slow-one-for/)

[Eileen Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-power/)

> [“This peaceful infiltration of barbarians which altered the whole character of the society which it invaded would have been impossible, of course, if that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-power/this-peaceful-infiltration-of-barbarians-which-altered-the-whole/)

[Eileen Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-power/)

[Explore all 5 Eileen Power quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-power/)

## More Birthrates quotes

> [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

Browse all 2 Birthrates quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...it is plain that the proportion of celibates was high in the Roman empire and that the fall in the fertility of marriages was going on. It is the childless marriage, the small family system that contemporary writers deplore…'The human harvest was bad,' It was bad in all classes, but the decline was most marked in the upper ranks, the most educated, the most civilized, the potential leaders of the race.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eileen Power"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-power/it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celibates-was-high-in-the-roman/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Birthrates"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-power/it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celibates-was-high-in-the-roman/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/eileen-power-59513_birthrates_it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celib_720328.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/eileen-power-59513_birthrates_it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celib_720328.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/eileen-power-59513_birthrates_it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celib_720328.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...it is plain that the proportion of celibates was high in the Roman empire and that the fall in the…” — Eileen Power",
                "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": "Eileen Power",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-power/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...it is plain that the proportion...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-power/it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celibates-was-high-in-the-roman/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-power/it-is-plain-that-the-proportion-of-celibates-was-high-in-the-roman/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
