---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Modern prophets say that our economics…"
description: "\"Modern prophets say that our economics have failed us. No! It is not our economics which have failed; it is man who has failed-man who has forgotten Go..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/fulton-j-sheen-675_civilization_modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-h_2882969.jpg"
---

#  Modern prophets say that our economics have failed us. No!…

![“Modern prophets say that our economics have failed us. No! It is not our economics which have failed; it is man who has failed-man who has forgotten God. Hence no manner of economic or political readjustment can possibly save our civilization; we can be saved only by a renovation of the inner man…” quote by Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/fulton-j-sheen-675_civilization_modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-h_2882969.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/fulton-j-sheen-675_civilization_modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-h_2882969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/fulton-j-sheen-675_civilization_modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-h_2882969.jpg)

> “Modern prophets say that our economics have failed us. No! It is not our economics which have failed; it is man who has failed-man who has forgotten God. Hence no manner of economic or political readjustment can possibly save our civilization; we can be saved only by a renovation of the inner man, only by a purging of our hearts and souls; for only by seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Justice will all these other things be added unto us.”

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

## About This Quote

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

Human moral decay, not economics, threatens society; spiritual renewal is essential for true progress.

**In simple terms:** Moral decay threatens society; spiritual renewal is essential.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize inner transformation.

Themes

spirituality morality civilization economics politics

Mood

hopeful serious

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- community building
- policy advocacy

Key Concepts

theology ethical renewal human nature

Questions to Reflect On

- How can inner renewal influence external structures?
- What role does faith play in economic reform?

A Different Perspective

Spiritual change alone may not address systemic injustices.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Saved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-saved-3187761/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economics Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics-failed-4005849/) [Failed Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed-economics-4005848/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart and soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-and-soul/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Kingdom of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdom-of-god/) [Kingdoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdoms/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern Prophets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-prophets-4005850/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) [Purging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purging/) [Renovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renovation/) [Save Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-civilization-471124/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/)

## Related quotes

> [“But I won’t watch them go to war again. I’ve been to war, you know, to save civilization from the reptile hordes. I bled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-k-morgan/but-i-won-t-watch-them-go-to-war-again-i-ve-been-to-war-you-know-to/)

[Richard K. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-k-morgan/)

> [If, then, this civilization is to be saved, if it is not to be submerged by centuries of barbarism, but to secure the treasures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-huizinga/if-then-this-civilization-is-to-be-saved-if-it-is-not-to-be-submerged/)

[Johan Huizinga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-huizinga/)

> [We should lay aside every hindrance and endeavour by uniting the whole force and spirit of our people to raise again a great British…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/we-should-lay-aside-every-hindrance-and-endeavour-by-uniting-the/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [You don't fight to protect warships or old men. Like the book says, you fight to save your civilization. And so often it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/you-don-t-fight-to-protect-warships-or-old-men-like-the-book-says-you/)

[James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/)

> [The biggest farce of man's history has been the argument that wars are fought to save civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-e-mckenzie/the-biggest-farce-of-man-s-history-has-been-the-argument-that-wars/)

[Charles E. McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-e-mckenzie/)

> [Saving Greenland is both a metaphor and a precondition for saving civilization. If its ice sheet melts, sea levels will rise 23 feet. Hundreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/saving-greenland-is-both-a-metaphor-and-a-precondition-for-saving/)

[Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/)

> [I think women can save civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murphy/i-think-women-can-save-civilization/)

[Emily Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murphy/)

> [Christ did not come to civilize. He came to save. Civilization is not the solution; it does not destroy the works of the devil.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arno-c-gaebelein/christ-did-not-come-to-civilize-he-came-to-save-civilization-is-not/)

[Arno C. Gaebelein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arno-c-gaebelein/)

> [Fortunately, at the last hour, there were always a few soldiers to save Civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-spengler/fortunately-at-the-last-hour-there-were-always-a-few-soldiers-to-save/)

[Oswald Spengler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-spengler/)

> [No matter what ailed you, you went to see the barber surgeon who wound up cupping you, bleeding you, purging you. And, oh yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/no-matter-what-ailed-you-you-went-to-see-the-barber-surgeon-who-wound/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [In the olden days, a memoir was something written by Churchill and people like that, because they had a grand experience and considered it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/in-the-olden-days-a-memoir-was-something-written-by-churchill-and/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [“You think Mother sent us out here to have visions?' Ralph asked. 'Maybe to gain strength and holiness by a purging process',Glen said. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/you-think-mother-sent-us-out-here-to-have-visions-ralph-asked-maybe/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [When I write, it's purging for me. It's a therapeutic process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-marie-presley/when-i-write-it-s-purging-for-me-it-s-a-therapeutic-process/)

[Lisa Marie Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-marie-presley/)

> [“So there you have it--my sorry tale. That's how something I though I controlled ended up controlling me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-darer-littman/so-there-you-have-it-my-sorry-tale-that-s-how-something-i-though-i/)

[Sarah Darer Littman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-darer-littman/)

> [“Purging was part of his grieving process—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/purging-was-part-of-his-grieving-process/)

[Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/)

## More by Fulton J. Sheen

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [There are 200 million poor in the world who would gladly take the vow of poverty if they could eat, dress and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/there-are-200-million-poor-in-the-world-who-would-gladly-take-the-vow/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [Love is the key to the mystery. Love by its very nature is not selfish, but generous. It seeks not its own, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/love-is-the-key-to-the-mystery-love-by-its-very-nature-is-not-selfish/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“This is what Aristotle meant when he said that the object of science is the necessary and the universal; man and not this man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/this-is-what-aristotle-meant-when-he-said-that-the-object-of-science/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [Pride is an admission of weakness; it secretly fears all competition and dreads all rivals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/pride-is-an-admission-of-weakness-it-secretly-fears-all-competition/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [Calamity, war, famine, plague, death, adversity, disease, injury do not necessarily produce repentance. We may become better in a calamity but it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/calamity-war-famine-plague-death-adversity-disease-injury-do-not/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [No one has ever laughed at a pun who did not see in the one word a twofold meaning. To materialists this world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/no-one-has-ever-laughed-at-a-pun-who-did-not-see-in-the-one-word-a/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [Love is a mutual self-giving which ends in self-recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/love-is-a-mutual-self-giving-which-ends-in-self-recovery/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [The Soviet Union is like the Cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-soviet-union-is-like-the-cross-without-christ-while-american/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“The 'fullness of reality' in the second sense of the term is perceived by a combination of both intellect and sense, the senses knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-fullness-of-reality-in-the-second-sense-of-the-term-is-perceived/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“The mathematical method is disinterested in the efficient cause and the final cause or the goodness of a thing and it should not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-mathematical-method-is-disinterested-in-the-efficient-cause-and/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“The Church makes no man less free than he was before. But we chiefly value freedom in order to give it away; every man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-church-makes-no-man-less-free-than-he-was-before-but-we-chiefly/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“To those who rejected Him, righteousness would one day appear as a terrible justice; to the sinful men who accepted Him and allied themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/to-those-who-rejected-him-righteousness-would-one-day-appear-as-a/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [It is easy to find truth, though it is hard to face it, and harder still to follow it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/it-is-easy-to-find-truth-though-it-is-hard-to-face-it-and-harder/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [One function of the angels is illumination, and the other function is that of being a guardian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/one-function-of-the-angels-is-illumination-and-the-other-function-is/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

[Explore all 414 Fulton J. Sheen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

## 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. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/)

[Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/)

> [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. 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. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/)

[David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/)

[Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Modern prophets say that our economics have failed us. No! It is not our economics which have failed; it is man who has failed-man who has forgotten God. Hence no manner of economic or political readjustment can possibly save our civilization; we can be saved only by a renovation of the inner man, only by a purging of our hearts and souls; for only by seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Justice will all these other things be added unto us.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fulton J. Sheen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-have-failed-us-no-it-is-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Civilization"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-have-failed-us-no-it-is-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/fulton-j-sheen-675_civilization_modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-h_2882969.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/fulton-j-sheen-675_civilization_modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-h_2882969.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/fulton-j-sheen-675_civilization_modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-h_2882969.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Modern prophets say that our economics have failed us. No! It is not our economics which have failed; it is…” — Fulton J. Sheen",
                "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": "Fulton J. Sheen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Modern prophets say that our economics...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-have-failed-us-no-it-is-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/modern-prophets-say-that-our-economics-have-failed-us-no-it-is-not/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
