--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must realise that man's nature will…" description: "\"We must realise that man's nature will remain the same so long as he remains man; that civilisation is but a slight coverlet beneath which the dominant..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/h-p-lovecraft-1408_civilisation_we-must-realise-that-man-s-nature-will-r_346585.jpg" --- # We must realise that man's nature will remain the same so… ![“We must realise that man's nature will remain the same so long as he remains man; that civilisation is but a slight coverlet beneath which the dominant beast sleeps lightly and ever ready to awake. To preserve civilisation, we must deal scientifically with the brute element, using only genuine…” quote by H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/h-p-lovecraft-1408_civilisation_we-must-realise-that-man-s-nature-will-r_346585.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/h-p-lovecraft-1408_civilisation_we-must-realise-that-man-s-nature-will-r_346585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/h-p-lovecraft-1408_civilisation_we-must-realise-that-man-s-nature-will-r_346585.jpg) > “We must realise that man's nature will remain the same so long as he remains man; that civilisation is but a slight coverlet beneath which the dominant beast sleeps lightly and ever ready to awake. To preserve civilisation, we must deal scientifically with the brute element, using only genuine biological principles.” [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human nature is fundamentally animalistic; civilization merely masks our primal instincts, which can reassert themselves if not managed scientifically. **In simple terms:** People stay the same underneath society; we need science to control our base urges. Key Takeaway Apply scientific understanding to manage innate aggression. Themes human nature civilization science control Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - law enforcement - education reform - public health policy - conflict resolution Key Concepts biology psychology evolutionary theory Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance scientific control with ethical freedom? - What role does culture play in restraining the 'beast'? A Different Perspective Science alone cannot fully suppress deep-rooted instincts without cultural change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilisation/) [Civilisation Slight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilisation-slight-3209036/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Man Civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-civilisation-3209035/) [Man Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-nature/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Preserve Civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserve-civilisation-3209034/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [We must recognise the essential underlaying savagery in the animal called man, and return to older and sounder principles of national life and defense.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/we-must-recognise-the-essential-underlaying-savagery-in-the-animal/) [H. 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P. Lovecraft > [It is the night-black Massachusetts legendry which packs the really macabre "kick". Here is material for a really profound study in group-neuroticism; for certainly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-is-the-night-black-massachusetts-legendry-which-packs-the-really/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [“Sounds—possibly musical—heard in the night from other worlds or realms of being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/sounds-possibly-musical-heard-in-the-night-from-other-worlds-or/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Very few minds are strictly normal, and all religious fanatics are marked with abnormalities of various sorts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/very-few-minds-are-strictly-normal-and-all-religious-fanatics-are/) [H. P. 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P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [“How little does the earth self know life and its extent! How little, indeed, ought it to know for its own tranquility!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/how-little-does-the-earth-self-know-life-and-its-extent-how-little/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [The trees grew too thickly, and their trunks were too big for any healthy New England wood. There was too much silence in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/the-trees-grew-too-thickly-and-their-trunks-were-too-big-for-any/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Plots may be simple or complex, but suspense, and climactic progress from one incident to another, are essential. Every incident in a fictional work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/plots-may-be-simple-or-complex-but-suspense-and-climactic-progress/) [H. P. 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Lovecraft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) ## More Civilisation quotes > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [In some ways, I lament the introduction of civilisation on such a huge scale, because it has given us a lot of room to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-harper/in-some-ways-i-lament-the-introduction-of-civilisation-on-such-a-huge/) [Roy Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-harper/) > [We are producing urban places which are disjointed and disconnected and not worthy of our civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-are-producing-urban-places-which-are-disjointed-and-disconnected/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [“There is a great deal of ruin in a nation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/there-is-a-great-deal-of-ruin-in-a-nation/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [The slow rhythm of the body, the insistent rhythm of the wit, were they becoming irreconcilable in modern civilisation? 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They won't be religious!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-we-ever-talk-to-aliens-their-civilisation-will-be-far-more/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Browse all 392 Civilisation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilisation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must realise that man's nature will remain the same so long as he remains man; that civilisation is but a slight coverlet beneath which the dominant beast sleeps lightly and ever ready to awake. To preserve civilisation, we must deal scientifically with the brute element, using only genuine biological principles.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H. P. 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