--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Civilization, after all, is defined by…" description: "\"Civilization, after all, is defined by what we forbid, more than what we permit.\" — Gregory David Roberts" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/gregory-david-roberts-1039_civilization_civilization-after-all-is-defined-by-wha_1320828.png" --- # Civilization, after all, is defined by what we forbid… ![“Civilization, after all, is defined by what we forbid, more than what we permit.” quote by Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/gregory-david-roberts-1039_civilization_civilization-after-all-is-defined-by-wha_1320828.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/gregory-david-roberts-1039_civilization_civilization-after-all-is-defined-by-wha_1320828.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/gregory-david-roberts-1039_civilization_civilization-after-all-is-defined-by-wha_1320828.png) > “Civilization, after all, is defined by what we forbid, more than what we permit.” [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societies are shaped more by prohibitions than by allowances, highlighting the power of restrictions. **In simple terms:** Restrictions define societies. Key Takeaway Consider what is forbidden more than what is allowed. Themes society law morality Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - policy making - cultural norms - legal systems Key Concepts social contract ethical boundaries Questions to Reflect On - What do we forbid that shapes culture? - Are prohibitions always negative? A Different Perspective Forbidden actions can be ambiguous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-defined-4401711/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined/) [Defined Forbid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined-forbid-3750274/) [Forbid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forbid/) [Forbid Permit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forbid-permit-3750273/) [Permit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permit/) ## Related quotes > [“Civilisation, after all, is defined by what we forbid, more than what we permit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/civilisation-after-all-is-defined-by-what-we-forbid-more-than-what-we/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [“We live in a uniform civilization, within well-defined cultural models: furnishings, decorative elements, blankets, record player have all been chosen among a certain number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/we-live-in-a-uniform-civilization-within-well-defined-cultural-models/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [Fear of change is a part of the state of fear man has ever lived in but out of which he has begun to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsie-clews-parsons/fear-of-change-is-a-part-of-the-state-of-fear-man-has-ever-lived-in/) [Elsie Clews Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsie-clews-parsons/) > [Good soldiers are defined by what they can endure, not by what they can inflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/good-soldiers-are-defined-by-what-they-can-endure-not-by-what-they/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [“Writing may be masturbatory, but God forbid it should be an act off autocannibalism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/writing-may-be-masturbatory-but-god-forbid-it-should-be-an-act-off/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“This has nothing to do with what anyone else in all the world would approve or forbid. This is all their own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/this-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-anyone-else-in-all-the-world-would/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [“So, apart from casting runes, what other hobbies do you have? Forbidden rituals, human sacrifices, torturing? –”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-panova/so-apart-from-casting-runes-what-other-hobbies-do-you-have-forbidden/) [Simona Panova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-panova/) > [It can’t eat him. I forbid it. (Artemis) She can do as she pleases. I taught her to waste not, want not. 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One must also be able to go back, one must always be able to change...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-hartung/one-must-never-forbid-oneself-anything-one-must-also-be-able-to-go/) [Hans Hartung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-hartung/) > [If a king tries to start a war, a mother should go to him and forbid it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-rousseau/if-a-king-tries-to-start-a-war-a-mother-should-go-to-him-and-forbid-it/) [Henri Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-rousseau/) > [The Lord forbid that I should be out of debt, as if indeed I could not be trusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/the-lord-forbid-that-i-should-be-out-of-debt-as-if-indeed-i-could-not/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [“God forbid, if something happened & she lost him for good, she would give up anything to have him back. Anything & everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-harbison/god-forbid-if-something-happened-she-lost-him-for-good-she-would-give/) [Beth Harbison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-harbison/) ## More by Gregory David Roberts > [The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-india-and-indian-people-is/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [I think the novel form chose me. 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Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/sometimes-we-love-with-nothing-more-than-hope-sometimes-we-cry-with/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Love is the passionate search for a truth other than your own; and once you feel it, honestly and completely, love is forever..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/love-is-the-passionate-search-for-a-truth-other-than-your-own-and/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [“I know now that it's the sweet, sweating smell of hope, which is opposite of hate; and it's the sour, stifled smell of greed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-know-now-that-it-s-the-sweet-sweating-smell-of-hope-which-is/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [I don't know what frightens me more](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-don-t-know-what-frightens-me-more/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [“I hesitated. Karla once said that men reveal what they think when they look away, and what they feel when they hesitate. With women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-hesitated-karla-once-said-that-men-reveal-what-they-think-when-they/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [you can't kill love. you can't even kill it with hate. you can kill in-love, and loving, and even loveliness. you can kill them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/you-can-t-kill-love-you-can-t-even-kill-it-with-hate-you-can-kill-in/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Some loves are like that. Your heart starts to feel like an overcrowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, &…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/some-loves-are-like-that-your-heart-starts-to-feel-like-an/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [I sometimes think that the size of our happiness is inversely proportional to the size of our house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-sometimes-think-that-the-size-of-our-happiness-is-inversely/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) [Explore all 276 Gregory David Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. 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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. 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