--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I go into a museum and see the…" description: "\"When I go into a museum and see the mummies wrapped in their linen bandages, I see that the lives of men began to need reform as long ago as when they ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/henry-david-thoreau-20_bandages_when-i-go-into-a-museum-and-see-the-mumm_1915191.jpg" --- # When I go into a museum and see the mummies wrapped in… ![“When I go into a museum and see the mummies wrapped in their linen bandages, I see that the lives of men began to need reform as long ago as when they walked the earth. I come out into the streets, and meet men who declare that the time is near at hand for the redemption of the race. But as men…” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/henry-david-thoreau-20_bandages_when-i-go-into-a-museum-and-see-the-mumm_1915191.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/henry-david-thoreau-20_bandages_when-i-go-into-a-museum-and-see-the-mumm_1915191.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/henry-david-thoreau-20_bandages_when-i-go-into-a-museum-and-see-the-mumm_1915191.jpg) > “When I go into a museum and see the mummies wrapped in their linen bandages, I see that the lives of men began to need reform as long ago as when they walked the earth. I come out into the streets, and meet men who declare that the time is near at hand for the redemption of the race. But as men lived in Thebes, so do they live in Dunstable today.” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage draws a parallel between ancient moral reforms and contemporary social movements, suggesting history repeats itself. **In simple terms:** History repeats in social reform. Key Takeaway Recognize patterns in social change. Themes history reform society human nature philosophy Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - activism - education - policy making - community organizing Key Concepts cyclical history social critique moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What modern reforms echo ancient ones? - How can we avoid repeating past mistakes? A Different Perspective Historical analogies can oversimplify unique contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mummies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mummies/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Redemption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redemption/) [Reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reform/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [Men who have lived significant lives are men who never waited: not for money, security, ease, or women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deida/men-who-have-lived-significant-lives-are-men-who-never-waited-not-for/) [David Deida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deida/) > [Men who have lived significant lives are men who never waited: not for money, security, ease, or women. Feel what you want to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deida/men-who-have-lived-significant-lives-are-men-who-never-waited-not-for-2/) [David Deida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deida/) > [Wherever men have lived, there is a story to be told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wherever-men-have-lived-there-is-a-story-to-be-told/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives, men seek a noble vision of man's nature and of life's potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/whatever-their-future-at-the-dawn-of-their-lives-men-seek-a-noble/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [The lives of most men are patchwork quilts. Or at best one matching outfit with a closet and laundry bag full of incongruous accumulations.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/the-lives-of-most-men-are-patchwork-quilts-or-at-best-one-matching/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [“When, at the end of their lives, most men look back they will find that they have lived throughout ad interim. They will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/when-at-the-end-of-their-lives-most-men-look-back-they-will-find-that/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“A man does not live for himself alone in this mortal body to work for it alone, but he lives also for all men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/a-man-does-not-live-for-himself-alone-in-this-mortal-body-to-work-for/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“Indeed, four men like them, four men devoted to each other from their money to their lives, four men always supporting each other, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/indeed-four-men-like-them-four-men-devoted-to-each-other-from-their/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [“You love him because this is what you do. Over and over again. You knit yourself right up into these men's lives, these men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collier-lumpkin/you-love-him-because-this-is-what-you-do-over-and-over-again-you-knit/) Collier Lumpkin > [How do men feel whose whole lives (and many men's lives are) are lies, schemes, and subterfuges? What sort of company do they keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/how-do-men-feel-whose-whole-lives-and-many-men-s-lives-are-are-lies/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [“Oh, Death was never enemy of ours! We laughed at him, we leagued with him, old chum. No soldier's paid to kick against His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-owen/oh-death-was-never-enemy-of-ours-we-laughed-at-him-we-leagued-with/) [wilfred owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-owen/) > [There are other Annapurnas in the lives of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-herzog/there-are-other-annapurnas-in-the-lives-of-men/) [Maurice Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-herzog/) > [“it is not our part here to take thought only for a season, or for a few lives of Men, or for a passing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-our-part-here-to-take-thought-only-for-a-season-or-for-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Of course his life could be found in the pages of a book; I had just begun to notice that the lives of men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/of-course-his-life-could-be-found-in-the-pages-of-a-book-i-had-just/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [“The memory of my name will last longer than the lives of many men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-memory-of-my-name-will-last-longer-than-the-lives-of-many-men/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More Bandages quotes > [“If you are a policy maker, don’t apply bandages to old injuries when what we need is early, corrective surgery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uri-gneezy/if-you-are-a-policy-maker-don-t-apply-bandages-to-old-injuries-when/) [Uri Gneezy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uri-gneezy/) > [If you are burned, you are naturally anxious to see what your face looks like as soon as they take the bandages off. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-carreras/if-you-are-burned-you-are-naturally-anxious-to-see-what-your-face/) [Jose Carreras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-carreras/) > [In our male-oriented God phase, it's always about conquering and control of life and death. This power leads to a kind of thinking that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-alexis/in-our-male-oriented-god-phase-it-s-always-about-conquering-and/) [Andre Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-alexis/) > [Money does not corrupt people. What corrupts people is lack of affection ... Money is simply the bandage which wounded people put over their wounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-halsey/money-does-not-corrupt-people-what-corrupts-people-is-lack-of/) [Margaret Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-halsey/) > [There comes a terrible moment to many souls when the great movements of the world, the larger destinies of mankind, which have lain aloof…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-comes-a-terrible-moment-to-many-souls-when-the-great-movements/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [The church ... is not just to bandage the victims under the wheel, but to put a spoke in the wheel itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-church-is-not-just-to-bandage-the-victims-under-the-wheel-but-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I fall to pieces when I am hurt, but when it comes to my children, I am a pillar of strength, applying balm and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sridevi/i-fall-to-pieces-when-i-am-hurt-but-when-it-comes-to-my-children-i-am/) [Sridevi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sridevi/) > [A Polish man had a bandage on each ear. What happened? "I was ironing, and the phone rang!" "What about the other ear?" "Had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/a-polish-man-had-a-bandage-on-each-ear-what-happened-i-was-ironing/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) > [The bandage will remain on the eyes of Justice as long as the Capitalist has the cut, shuffle, and deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-haywood/the-bandage-will-remain-on-the-eyes-of-justice-as-long-as-the/) [Bill Haywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-haywood/) > [One reads the papers as one wants to with a bandage over one's eyes without trying to understand the facts, listening to the soothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/one-reads-the-papers-as-one-wants-to-with-a-bandage-over-one-s-eyes/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“I'm sure we can manage without him for a few months. Although without his healing powers, we'll certainly have to invest in more bandages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/i-m-sure-we-can-manage-without-him-for-a-few-months-although-without/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [If with love thy heart has burned; If thy love is unreturned; Hide thy grief within thy breast, Though it tear thee unexpressed; For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-with-love-thy-heart-has-burned-if-thy-love-is-unreturned-hide-thy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [tis woman's strongest vindication for speaking that the world needs to hear her voice. It would be subversive of every human interest that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-julia-cooper/tis-woman-s-strongest-vindication-for-speaking-that-the-world-needs/) [Anna Julia Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-julia-cooper/) > [That Justice is a blind goddess Is a thing to which we black are wise: Her bandage hides two festering sores That once perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/that-justice-is-a-blind-goddess-is-a-thing-to-which-we-black-are-wise/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [Trust is like a branch, when its broken, you expect bandages can fix them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeres/trust-is-like-a-branch-when-its-broken-you-expect-bandages-can-fix/) [Aeres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeres/) Browse all 53 Bandages quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I go into a museum and see the mummies wrapped in their linen bandages, I see that the lives of men began to need reform as long ago as when they walked the earth. 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