--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Senate is the last primitive society…" description: "\"The Senate is the last primitive society in the world. We still worship the elders of the tribe and honor the territorial imperative.\" — Eugene McCarthy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/eugene-mccarthy-16990_elders_the-senate-is-the-last-primitive-society_1892875.jpg" --- # The Senate is the last primitive society in the world. We… ![“The Senate is the last primitive society in the world. We still worship the elders of the tribe and honor the territorial imperative.” quote by Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/eugene-mccarthy-16990_elders_the-senate-is-the-last-primitive-society_1892875.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/eugene-mccarthy-16990_elders_the-senate-is-the-last-primitive-society_1892875.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/eugene-mccarthy-16990_elders_the-senate-is-the-last-primitive-society_1892875.jpg) > “The Senate is the last primitive society in the world. We still worship the elders of the tribe and honor the territorial imperative.” [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Senate functions like an ancient tribe, preserving elder authority and territorial instincts despite modern society. **In simple terms:** Senate resembles a primitive tribe honoring elders. Key Takeaway Recognize outdated structures, consider reform. Themes politics tradition authority social evolution Mood critical reflective analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - legislative debate - policy making - historical analysis Key Concepts anthropology institutional inertia governance Questions to Reflect On - Is the Senate still effective in today’s world? - How can tradition be balanced with progress? A Different Perspective Modern needs may outpace ancient frameworks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elders/) [Elders Tribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elders-tribe-2745495/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Primitive Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive-society-467013/) [Senate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senate/) [Senate Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senate-primitive-2745494/) [Territorial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/territorial/) [Tribe Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribe-honor-2745496/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [If we put together all that we have learned from anthropology and ethnography about primitive men and primitive society, we perceive that the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/if-we-put-together-all-that-we-have-learned-from-anthropology-and/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [Deep down, the US, with its space, its technological refinement, its bluff good conscience, even in those spaces which it opens up for simulation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/deep-down-the-us-with-its-space-its-technological-refinement-its/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [Great works of art can be produced in barbarous societies - in fact the very narrowness of primitive society gives their ornamental art a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/great-works-of-art-can-be-produced-in-barbarous-societies-in-fact-the/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [It is the mark of a primitive society to view regression as progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/it-is-the-mark-of-a-primitive-society-to-view-regression-as-progress/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [In primitive society, where uniformity of occupation is the rule, and the distribution of the community into various classes of workers has hardly begun,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/in-primitive-society-where-uniformity-of-occupation-is-the-rule-and/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [“On the one hand, there was the primeval institution of the sacrifice and the egalitarian distribution and communal consumption of its roast meat—a ritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-martin/on-the-one-hand-there-was-the-primeval-institution-of-the-sacrifice/) [Felix Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-martin/) > [Men were only made into 'men' with great difficulty even in primitive society: the male is not naturally 'a man' any more than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/men-were-only-made-into-men-with-great-difficulty-even-in-primitive/) [Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/) > [Photography is our exorcism. Primitive society had its masks, bourgeois society its mirrors. We have our images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/photography-is-our-exorcism-primitive-society-had-its-masks-bourgeois/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [We don't live in a primitive society any more. Many of us are lucky enough to be educated. We also realize that gender and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konkona-sen-sharma/we-don-t-live-in-a-primitive-society-any-more-many-of-us-are-lucky/) [Konkona Sen Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konkona-sen-sharma/) > [“There is a violent contrast here, in this country, between the growing abstractness of a unclear universe and a primary, visceral, unbounded vitality, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-violent-contrast-here-in-this-country-between-the-growing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we were a primitive society, movie stars would be gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/if-we-were-a-primitive-society-movie-stars-would-be-gods/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [Anthropologists have often described what happens to a primitive society when its spiritual values are exposed to the impact of modern civilisation. Its people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/anthropologists-have-often-described-what-happens-to-a-primitive/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The captain looked defensive. "You regard our customs as primitive?"Every society to its own tastes, captain. The wisdom of one society would be folly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-m-miller-jr-2/the-captain-looked-defensive-you-regard-our-customs-as-primitive/) [Walter M. Miller, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-m-miller-jr-2/) > [Despite the theories traditionally taught in high-school social studies, the truth is: the more primitive the society, the more leisured its way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-farb/despite-the-theories-traditionally-taught-in-high-school-social/) [Peter Farb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-farb/) > [There cannot be an animal body without a territorial body: three bodies are grafted over each other: the territorial body - the planet, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/there-cannot-be-an-animal-body-without-a-territorial-body-three/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) ## More by Eugene McCarthy > [I'm kind of an accidental instrument, really, through which I hope that the judgment and the will of this nation can be expressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/i-m-kind-of-an-accidental-instrument-really-through-which-i-hope-that/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [Whatever is morally necessary must be made politically possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/whatever-is-morally-necessary-must-be-made-politically-possible/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [Let us pick up again these lost strands and weave them again into the fabric of America, sort out the music from the sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/let-us-pick-up-again-these-lost-strands-and-weave-them-again-into-the/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [Broken things are powerful."Things about to break are stronger still.The last shot from the brittle bow is truest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/broken-things-are-powerful-things-about-to-break-are-stronger-still/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [Have you ever tried to split sawdust?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/have-you-ever-tried-to-split-sawdust/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [In politics one may remain aloof and become irrelevant or get involved and get corrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/in-politics-one-may-remain-aloof-and-become-irrelevant-or-get/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [We do not need presidents who are bigger than the country, but rather ones who speak for it and support it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/we-do-not-need-presidents-who-are-bigger-than-the-country-but-rather/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [The polls show that 10 percent of the public are ready to vote for me even though they don't know I'm running. We hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/the-polls-show-that-10-percent-of-the-public-are-ready-to-vote-for-me/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [We don't declare war any more; we declare national defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/we-don-t-declare-war-any-more-we-declare-national-defense/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [Never say anything in a national campaign that anyone might remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/never-say-anything-in-a-national-campaign-that-anyone-might-remember/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [One thing about a pig, he thinks he's warm if his nose is warm. I saw a bunch of pigs one time that had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/one-thing-about-a-pig-he-thinks-he-s-warm-if-his-nose-is-warm-i-saw-a/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [There are two ways that you can gain territory from another group. One is by conquest. That's essentially the way we took California from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/there-are-two-ways-that-you-can-gain-territory-from-another-group-one/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [This is, I say, the time for all good men not to go to the aid of their party, but to come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/this-is-i-say-the-time-for-all-good-men-not-to-go-to-the-aid-of-their/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [The function of liberal Republicans is to shoot the wounded after battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/the-function-of-liberal-republicans-is-to-shoot-the-wounded-after/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) > [The mortician interviewing the corpses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/the-mortician-interviewing-the-corpses/) [Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) [Explore all 38 Eugene McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/) ## More Elders quotes > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. 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No matter where the technology goes in the future, the basics don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schultz/i-see-film-as-a-real-opportunity-to-examine-the-human-condition-no/) [Michael Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schultz/) > [Most people think that aging is irreversible and we know that there are mechanisms even in the human machinery that allow for the reversal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-people-think-that-aging-is-irreversible-and-we-know-that-there/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [In Afghanistan, I was talking to Afghan elders who were world-weary of a lack of sustained attention from their own government and from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/in-afghanistan-i-was-talking-to-afghan-elders-who-were-world-weary-of/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [Remember that the progress of the world depends on your knowing better than your elders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/remember-that-the-progress-of-the-world-depends-on-your-knowing/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don't have to respect anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/i-was-brought-up-to-respect-my-elders-so-now-i-don-t-have-to-respect/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [“the New Testament offers more instruction regarding elders than on other important church subjects such as the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Day, baptism, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-strauch/the-new-testament-offers-more-instruction-regarding-elders-than-on/) [Alexander Strauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-strauch/) > [Phaedra shook her head. “If your people mean no offense, they should not speak their thoughts out loud in front of their children, Tesadora.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/phaedra-shook-her-head-if-your-people-mean-no-offense-they-should-not/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. I suppose it’s an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/long-before-i-wrote-stories-i-listened-for-stories-listening-for-them/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“The young man pities his elders, fearing the day he, too, will join their ranks. The elderly man pities the younger generation, well-knowing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-i-fisher/the-young-man-pities-his-elders-fearing-the-day-he-too-will-join/) [Lynda I Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-i-fisher/) > [The fruit of humanity is devotion to one's parents. The fruit of righteousness is to respect one's elders. 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