---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a civilization, a race, a people, a…"
description: "\"When a civilization, a race, a people, a society, when they lack love, they are soon destroyed.\" — Frederick Lenz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-so_1308356.jpg"
---

#  When a civilization, a race, a people, a society, when…

![“When a civilization, a race, a people, a society, when they lack love, they are soon destroyed.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-so_1308356.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-so_1308356.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-so_1308356.jpg)

> “When a civilization, a race, a people, a society, when they lack love, they are soon destroyed.”

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## About This Quote

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

A civilization lacking love is vulnerable to collapse and self‑destruction.

**In simple terms:** Without love, societies fall apart.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate love to sustain communities.

Themes

love civilization society destruction vulnerability

Mood

hopeful serious

Type

sociological ethical

When to use this quote

- community building
- policy making
- education

Key Concepts

social cohesion emotional health

Questions to Reflect On

- How can love be institutionalized?
- What other factors protect societies?

A Different Perspective

Love alone may not solve structural issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/)

## Related quotes

> [Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/censorship-reflects-a-society-s-lack-of-confidence-in-itself/)

[Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/)

> [We lament the speed of our society and the lack of depth and the nature of disposable information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/we-lament-the-speed-of-our-society-and-the-lack-of-depth-and-the/)

[David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/)

> [“The great fault of modern democracy -- a fault that is common to the capitalist and the socialist -- is that it accepts economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-henry-dawson/the-great-fault-of-modern-democracy-a-fault-that-is-common-to-the/)

[Christopher Henry Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-henry-dawson/)

> [Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/censorship-reflects-a-society-s-lack-of-confidence-in-itself-it-is-a/)

[Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/)

> [There are spirits in Hawaii. They're very protective and very good and they watch over these islands. I must confess, they're not entirely happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-spirits-in-hawaii-they-re-very-protective-and-very-good-and/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [They've destroyed their environment, by and large. They've eliminated most other species on the planet, which is just an indication of their sloppiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/they-ve-destroyed-their-environment-by-and-large-they-ve-eliminated/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-triangle-of-truisms-of-father-mother-and-child-cannot-be/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy saints Of the North have earned thiscrumb by their complaints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/civilization-must-be-destroyed-the-hairy-saints-of-the-north-have/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [If our civilization is destroyed, it will not be by barbarians from below. Our barbarians come from above.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-demarest-lloyd/if-our-civilization-is-destroyed-it-will-not-be-by-barbarians-from/)

[Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/)

> [Ours may become the first civilization destroyed, not by the power of our enemies, but by the ignorance of our teachers and the dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ours-may-become-the-first-civilization-destroyed-not-by-the-power-of/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The arts do live continuously, and they live literally by faith; their names and their shapes and their uses and their basic meanings survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/the-arts-do-live-continuously-and-they-live-literally-by-faith-their/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

> [Under the sustaining influence of love, the physical body is always at its best. It is probably true that more people are sick from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/under-the-sustaining-influence-of-love-the-physical-body-is-always-at/)

[Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/)

> [In the developed countries there is a poverty of intimacy, a poverty of spirit, of loneliness, of lack of love. There is no greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/in-the-developed-countries-there-is-a-poverty-of-intimacy-a-poverty/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love. Or you can start speaking up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bareilles/you-can-be-the-outcast-or-be-the-backlash-of-somebody-s-lack-of-love/)

[Sara Bareilles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bareilles/)

> [A wise man said Its not a lack of love that ruins a marriage relationship its a lack of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rev-run-2/a-wise-man-said-its-not-a-lack-of-love-that-ruins-a-marriage/)

[Rev Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rev-run-2/)

## More by Frederick Lenz

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

[Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## More Buddhism quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

[Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When a civilization, a race, a people, a society, when they lack love, they are soon destroyed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frederick Lenz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-society-when-they-lack-love/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buddhism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-society-when-they-lack-love/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-so_1308356.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-so_1308356.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-so_1308356.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When a civilization, a race, a people, a society, when they lack love, they are soon destroyed.” — Frederick Lenz",
                "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": "Frederick Lenz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When a civilization, a race, a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-society-when-they-lack-love/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-a-civilization-a-race-a-people-a-society-when-they-lack-love/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
