--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who rejects change is the architect of…" description: "\"He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.\" — Harold Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/harold-wilson-15220_cemetery_he-who-rejects-change-is-the-architect-o_880822.jpg" --- # He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only… ![“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.” quote by Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/harold-wilson-15220_cemetery_he-who-rejects-change-is-the-architect-o_880822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/harold-wilson-15220_cemetery_he-who-rejects-change-is-the-architect-o_880822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/harold-wilson-15220_cemetery_he-who-rejects-change-is-the-architect-o_880822.jpg) > “He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.” [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Resisting change leads to decline; progress is essential for institutions to survive. **In simple terms:** Rejecting change causes decay; progress sustains life. Key Takeaway Embrace change to avoid stagnation. Themes change decay progress Mood cautionary motivational Type political philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - educational reform - technology adoption - organizational restructuring Key Concepts institutional theory social evolution public policy Questions to Reflect On - What changes could revitalize a stagnant institution? - How can you balance tradition with innovation? A Different Perspective Some traditions provide stability; change can be disruptive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cemetery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cemetery/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) ## Related quotes > [He who rejects change is the architect of decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/he-who-rejects-change-is-the-architect-of-decay/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [“There is no decay. Each human soul is the first created inhabitant of its own Eden. We dwell in an old moss-covered mansion, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-is-no-decay-each-human-soul-is-the-first-created-inhabitant-of/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Nothing exists except by virtue of a disequilibrium, an injustice. All existence is a theft paid for by other existences; no life flowers except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/nothing-exists-except-by-virtue-of-a-disequilibrium-an-injustice-all/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [“The atmosphere is always very grave when I walk into a cemetery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-atmosphere-is-always-very-grave-when-i-walk-into-a-cemetery/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Cats and dogs believe politicians are like cemetery caregivers; they are on top of everyone, but nobody listens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/cats-and-dogs-believe-politicians-are-like-cemetery-caregivers-they/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [In old grimy streets, in isolated and decaying houses, sometimes far from the Vieux Carre, in little used and secluded cemeteries, there still sluggishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-john-laughlin/in-old-grimy-streets-in-isolated-and-decaying-houses-sometimes-far/) [Clarence John Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-john-laughlin/) > [The cemetery of the victims of human cruelty in our century is extended to include yet another vast cemetery, that of the unborn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-cemetery-of-the-victims-of-human-cruelty-in-our-century-is/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [We think that a powerful and vigorous movement is impossible without differences - "true conformity" is possible only in the cemetery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/we-think-that-a-powerful-and-vigorous-movement-is-impossible-without/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Being president of the University of California is like being manager of a cemetery: there are many people under you, but no one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-yudof/being-president-of-the-university-of-california-is-like-being-manager/) Mark Yudof > [“I visited my old haunt, but somehow without all my old friends there with me, the cemetery just wasn’t the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-visited-my-old-haunt-but-somehow-without-all-my-old-friends-there/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [I am surprised that many people disregard the fact that the end for almost all drug dealers ends up being the cemetery or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-pablo-escobar/i-am-surprised-that-many-people-disregard-the-fact-that-the-end-for/) [Juan Pablo Escobar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-pablo-escobar/) > [If it wasn't for baseball, I'd be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-ruth/if-it-wasn-t-for-baseball-i-d-be-in-either-the-penitentiary-or-the/) [Babe Ruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-ruth/) > [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/) Molly Caldwell Crosby > [The only people without problems are in cemeteries. If you don't have problems, get on your knees and pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/the-only-people-without-problems-are-in-cemeteries-if-you-don-t-have/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) ## More by Harold Wilson > [The main essentials of a successful prime minister are sleep and a sense of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-main-essentials-of-a-successful-prime-minister-are-sleep-and-a/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [The monarchy is a labor intensive industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-monarchy-is-a-labor-intensive-industry/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [I get a little nauseated, perhaps, when I hear the phrase 'freedom of the press' used as freely as it is, knowing that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/i-get-a-little-nauseated-perhaps-when-i-hear-the-phrase-freedom-of/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [Selsdon Man is designing a system of society for the ruthlessness and the pushing, the uncaring. His message to the rest is: you're out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/selsdon-man-is-designing-a-system-of-society-for-the-ruthlessness-and/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [The cumulative effects of the economic and financial sanctions might well bring the rebellion to an end within a matter of weeks rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-cumulative-effects-of-the-economic-and-financial-sanctions-might/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [At home and abroad I have repeatedly been asked what are the main essentials of a successful prime minister. Over and above communication and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/at-home-and-abroad-i-have-repeatedly-been-asked-what-are-the-main/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [I'm at my best in a messy, middle-of-the-road muddle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/i-m-at-my-best-in-a-messy-middle-of-the-road-muddle/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [Tories never actually talk about getting rid of their leader, then suddenly there us a flash of steel between he shoulder-blades and rigormortis sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/tories-never-actually-talk-about-getting-rid-of-their-leader-then/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [I'm an optimist, but an optimist who carries a raincoat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/i-m-an-optimist-but-an-optimist-who-carries-a-raincoat/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [The Labour Party is a moral crusade or it is nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-labour-party-is-a-moral-crusade-or-it-is-nothing/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [On 5 September, when the TUC unanimously rejected wage restraint, it was the end of an era, and all the financiers, all the little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/on-5-september-when-the-tuc-unanimously-rejected-wage-restraint-it/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [Whichever party is in office, the Treasury is in power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/whichever-party-is-in-office-the-treasury-is-in-power/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [The labour party is like a stage-coach. If you rattle along at great speed everybody inside is too exhilarated or too seasick to cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-labour-party-is-like-a-stage-coach-if-you-rattle-along-at-great/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [He who rejects change is the architect of decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/he-who-rejects-change-is-the-architect-of-decay/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [The ambition of the present Labour government is that every worker in the country will have a greater than average income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/the-ambition-of-the-present-labour-government-is-that-every-worker-in/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) [Explore all 43 Harold Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) ## More Cemetery quotes > [The only people without problems are in cemeteries. If you don't have problems, get on your knees and pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/the-only-people-without-problems-are-in-cemeteries-if-you-don-t-have/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/) Molly Caldwell Crosby > [If it wasn't for baseball, I'd be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-ruth/if-it-wasn-t-for-baseball-i-d-be-in-either-the-penitentiary-or-the/) [Babe Ruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-ruth/) > [I am surprised that many people disregard the fact that the end for almost all drug dealers ends up being the cemetery or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-pablo-escobar/i-am-surprised-that-many-people-disregard-the-fact-that-the-end-for/) [Juan Pablo Escobar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-pablo-escobar/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“I visited my old haunt, but somehow without all my old friends there with me, the cemetery just wasn’t the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-visited-my-old-haunt-but-somehow-without-all-my-old-friends-there/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Being president of the University of California is like being manager of a cemetery: there are many people under you, but no one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-yudof/being-president-of-the-university-of-california-is-like-being-manager/) Mark Yudof > [We think that a powerful and vigorous movement is impossible without differences - "true conformity" is possible only in the cemetery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/we-think-that-a-powerful-and-vigorous-movement-is-impossible-without/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [The cemetery of the victims of human cruelty in our century is extended to include yet another vast cemetery, that of the unborn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-cemetery-of-the-victims-of-human-cruelty-in-our-century-is/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [In old grimy streets, in isolated and decaying houses, sometimes far from the Vieux Carre, in little used and secluded cemeteries, there still sluggishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-john-laughlin/in-old-grimy-streets-in-isolated-and-decaying-houses-sometimes-far/) [Clarence John Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-john-laughlin/) > [Cats and dogs believe politicians are like cemetery caregivers; they are on top of everyone, but nobody listens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/cats-and-dogs-believe-politicians-are-like-cemetery-caregivers-they/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [“The atmosphere is always very grave when I walk into a cemetery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-atmosphere-is-always-very-grave-when-i-walk-into-a-cemetery/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Nothing exists except by virtue of a disequilibrium, an injustice. All existence is a theft paid for by other existences; no life flowers except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/nothing-exists-except-by-virtue-of-a-disequilibrium-an-injustice-all/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [ Our agreements on creating the conditions for preparing a peace treaty \[with Japan\] should be rooted in this trust. This may be achieved, for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/our-agreements-on-creating-the-conditions-for-preparing-a-peace/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [A cemetery saddens us because it is the only place of the world in which we do not meet our dead again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mauriac/a-cemetery-saddens-us-because-it-is-the-only-place-of-the-world-in/) [Francois Mauriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mauriac/) [Browse all 309 Cemetery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cemetery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He who rejects change is the architect of decay. 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