--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man was not intended by nature to live in…" description: "\"Man was not intended by nature to live in communities and be civilized.\" — Epicurus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/epicurus-1642_civilization_man-was-not-intended-by-nature-to-live-i_413751.jpg" --- # Man was not intended by nature to live in communities and… ![“Man was not intended by nature to live in communities and be civilized.” quote by Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/epicurus-1642_civilization_man-was-not-intended-by-nature-to-live-i_413751.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/epicurus-1642_civilization_man-was-not-intended-by-nature-to-live-i_413751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/epicurus-1642_civilization_man-was-not-intended-by-nature-to-live-i_413751.jpg) > “Man was not intended by nature to live in communities and be civilized.” [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human nature is not naturally inclined toward communal living or civilization; it is a product of circumstance. **In simple terms:** Humans aren’t inherently social; society is constructed. Key Takeaway Recognize the role of culture in shaping behavior. Themes philosophy human nature society individualism Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - political theory - education - community building Key Concepts Social contract natural law civilization Questions to Reflect On - What evidence shows humans thrive in groups? - How does civilization benefit individuals? A Different Perspective Oversimplifies complex evolutionary and cultural factors; may ignore innate social instincts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Communities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communities/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [In consequence of our susceptibility to the stimuli of the outer world that surrounds us from conception, We are involuntarily subjected to the principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki/in-consequence-of-our-susceptibility-to-the-stimuli-of-the-outer/) [KIKI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki/) > [“In this place a mind was at work to negate the image of a free and intact man. 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Each human creature has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/man-is-not-intended-to-see-through-the-eyes-of-another-hear-through/) [Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/) > [The prince exults whomever he selects as his consort, but the queen, rather than elevating the subject of her choice, humiliates him as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/the-prince-exults-whomever-he-selects-as-his-consort-but-the-queen/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [The most civilized people are as near to barbarism as the most polished steel is to rust. Nations, like metals, have only a superficial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-rivarol/the-most-civilized-people-are-as-near-to-barbarism-as-the-most/) [Antoine Rivarol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-rivarol/) > [there is a danger, when thinking of the earliest civilized people, of putting too much emphasis on technology. 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When the Earth joins together and uses the Earth intelligently, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/as-long-as-there-are-prisons-police-armies-navies-we-are-not/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## More by Epicurus > [Most beautiful is the sight of those near and dear to us when our original kinship makes us of one mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/most-beautiful-is-the-sight-of-those-near-and-dear-to-us-when-our/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Any man who does not think that what he has is more than ample, is an unhappy man, even if he is the master…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/any-man-who-does-not-think-that-what-he-has-is-more-than-ample-is-an/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [“The opinions held by most people about the gods are not true conceptions of them but fallacious notions, according to which awful penalties are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/the-opinions-held-by-most-people-about-the-gods-are-not-true/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Death is nothing to us: for that which is dissolved is without sensation; and that which lacks sensation is nothing to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/death-is-nothing-to-us-for-that-which-is-dissolved-is-without/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Neither one should hesitate about dedicating oneself to philosophy when young, nor should get tired of doing it when one's old, because no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/neither-one-should-hesitate-about-dedicating-oneself-to-philosophy/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/if-thou-wilt-make-a-man-happy-add-not-unto-his-riches-but-take-away/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Being happy is knowing how to be content with little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/being-happy-is-knowing-how-to-be-content-with-little/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Injustice is not evil in itself, but only in the fear and apprehension that one will not escape those who have been set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/injustice-is-not-evil-in-itself-but-only-in-the-fear-and-apprehension/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Riches do not exhilarate us so much with their possession as they torment us with their loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/riches-do-not-exhilarate-us-so-much-with-their-possession-as-they/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [I have never wished to cater to the crowd; for what I know they do not approve, and what they approve I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/i-have-never-wished-to-cater-to-the-crowd-for-what-i-know-they-do-not/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [The pleasant life is not produced by continual drinking and dancing, nor sexual intercourse, nor rare dishes of sea food and other delicacies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/the-pleasant-life-is-not-produced-by-continual-drinking-and-dancing/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/be-moderate-in-order-to-taste-the-joys-of-life-in-abundance/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [If the gods have the will to remove evil and cannot, then they are not all-powerful. If they are neither able nor willing, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/if-the-gods-have-the-will-to-remove-evil-and-cannot-then-they-are-not/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Of all things which wisdom provides to make life entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/of-all-things-which-wisdom-provides-to-make-life-entirely-happy-much/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/death-does-not-concern-us-because-as-long-as-we-exist-death-is-not/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) [Explore all 209 Epicurus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. 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Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. 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