--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A period of high civilization is one in…" description: "\"A period of high civilization is one in which thoughts fly freely from mind to mind, from one country to another-yes, from the past into the present.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/gilbert-highet-15158_civilization_a-period-of-high-civilization-is-one-in_2332537.png" --- # A period of high civilization is one in which thoughts fly… ![“A period of high civilization is one in which thoughts fly freely from mind to mind, from one country to another-yes, from the past into the present.” quote by Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/gilbert-highet-15158_civilization_a-period-of-high-civilization-is-one-in_2332537.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/gilbert-highet-15158_civilization_a-period-of-high-civilization-is-one-in_2332537.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/gilbert-highet-15158_civilization_a-period-of-high-civilization-is-one-in_2332537.png) > “A period of high civilization is one in which thoughts fly freely from mind to mind, from one country to another-yes, from the past into the present.” [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civilization thrives when ideas move freely across borders and time, fostering progress. **In simple terms:** Free exchange of ideas drives civilization. Key Takeaway Encourage open dialogue and cultural exchange. Themes culture communication history intellectual freedom globalization Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - education - media - international collaboration - historical analysis Key Concepts philosophy humanism knowledge transfer Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms best support the free flow of ideas? - How does technology change the speed of intellectual exchange? A Different Perspective Barriers like censorship or isolation can hinder idea flow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-thoughts-5615771/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Freely Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freely-mind-4528619/) [High Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-civilization-979222/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-present/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thoughts Fly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-fly-1036693/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“With the weapons that God has made available to you, he expects you to capture and hold captive every thought and idea that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-okoro/with-the-weapons-that-god-has-made-available-to-you-he-expects-you-to/) [Pedro Okoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-okoro/) > [“As the river that flows freely, your mind drives me to look at the cages that I have built around me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-wolf/as-the-river-that-flows-freely-your-mind-drives-me-to-look-at-the/) [J.WOLF](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-wolf/) > [“They knew that their anarchism was the product of a very high civilization, of a complex diversified culture, of a stable economy and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/they-knew-that-their-anarchism-was-the-product-of-a-very-high/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [A high civilization is a pyramid: it can stand only on a broad base; its primary prerequisite is a strong and soundly consolidated mediocrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/a-high-civilization-is-a-pyramid-it-can-stand-only-on-a-broad-base/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [There can be no high civilization where there is not ample leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/there-can-be-no-high-civilization-where-there-is-not-ample-leisure/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“In spite of the land's natural drawbacks, they turned Sumer into a veritable Garden of Eden and developed what was probably the first high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-noah-kramer/in-spite-of-the-land-s-natural-drawbacks-they-turned-sumer-into-a/) [Samuel Noah Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-noah-kramer/) > [One might enumerate the items of high civilization, as it exists in other countries, which are absent from the texture of American life, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/one-might-enumerate-the-items-of-high-civilization-as-it-exists-in/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“Random thoughts that fly away. Where words has no place to stay. Let it be right where they are. Let the work of art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/happy-positivity/random-thoughts-that-fly-away-where-words-has-no-place-to-stay-let-it/) [Happy Positivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/happy-positivity/) > [Even Peter Pan needed happy thoughts to fly...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/einyahs/even-peter-pan-needed-happy-thoughts-to-fly/) [Einyahs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/einyahs/) > [The eye speaks with an eloquence and truthfulness surpassing speech. It is the window out of which the winged thoughts often fly unwittingly. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-theodore-tuckerman/the-eye-speaks-with-an-eloquence-and-truthfulness-surpassing-speech/) [Henry Theodore Tuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-theodore-tuckerman/) > [My mind has been the most discontented and restless one that ever was put into a body too small for it… I never felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/my-mind-has-been-the-most-discontented-and-restless-one-that-ever-was/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Thoughts fly and words go on foot. Therein lies all the drama of a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/thoughts-fly-and-words-go-on-foot-therein-lies-all-the-drama-of-a/) [Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/) > [“I, on the other hand, interrupt people because my thoughts fly out of my mouth. My handbag's full of rubbish. And I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-larkin/i-on-the-other-hand-interrupt-people-because-my-thoughts-fly-out-of/) [Alison Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-larkin/) > [One great thing about fly fishing is that after a while nothing exists of the world but thoughts about fly fishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/one-great-thing-about-fly-fishing-is-that-after-a-while-nothing/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“There are times when no amount of pixie, magic, or star dust, nor happy thoughts can fly you high enough to shake loose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/there-are-times-when-no-amount-of-pixie-magic-or-star-dust-nor-happy/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) ## More by Gilbert Highet > [These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/these-are-not-books-lumps-of-lifeless-paper-but-minds-alive-on-the/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [The art of invective resembles the art of boxing. Very few fights are won with the straight left. It is too obvious, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-art-of-invective-resembles-the-art-of-boxing-very-few-fights-are/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [The wise teacher knows that 55 minutes of work plus 5 minutes laughter are worth twice as much as 60 minutes of unvaried work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-wise-teacher-knows-that-55-minutes-of-work-plus-5-minutes/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [The real duty of man is not to extend his power or multiply his wealth beyond his needs, but to enrich and enjoy his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-his-power-or-multiply-his/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Poetry is halfway between prose and music: it is sometimes like an intimate conversation, in words and phrases which need not be fully uttered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/poetry-is-halfway-between-prose-and-music-it-is-sometimes-like-an/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Many of the snarly bad-tempered teachers whom we remember with hatred were really nice people soured by years of anxiety and penny-pinching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/many-of-the-snarly-bad-tempered-teachers-whom-we-remember-with-hatred/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [“Books are not lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on shelves!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/books-are-not-lumps-of-lifeless-paper-but-minds-alive-on-shelves/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [What is politics but persuading the public to vote for this and support that and endure these for the promise of those?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/what-is-politics-but-persuading-the-public-to-vote-for-this-and/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [History is a strange experience. The world is quite small now; but history is large and deep. Sometimes you can go much farther by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/history-is-a-strange-experience-the-world-is-quite-small-now-but/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [“These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on shelves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/these-are-not-books-lumps-of-lifeless-paper-but-minds-alive-on-shelves/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Most Americans do not like poetry. We may respect it, but we do not enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/most-americans-do-not-like-poetry-we-may-respect-it-but-we-do-not/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Nobody has ever thought himself to death. The chief danger confronting us is not age. 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Indeed, one of the few experiences which never pall is the experience of watching one's own mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-mind-never-need-stop-growing-indeed-one-of-the-few-experiences/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Bad teaching wastes a great deal of effort, and spoils many lives which might have been full of energy and happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/bad-teaching-wastes-a-great-deal-of-effort-and-spoils-many-lives/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [A very wise old teacher once said: I consider a day's teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/a-very-wise-old-teacher-once-said-i-consider-a-day-s-teaching-wasted/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) [Explore all 44 Gilbert Highet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. 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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. 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