--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If our civilization is destroyed, it will…" description: "\"If our civilization is destroyed, it will not be by barbarians from below. Our barbarians come from above.\" — Henry Demarest Lloyd" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/henry-demarest-lloyd-52367_barbarians_if-our-civilization-is-destroyed-it-will_217782.jpg" --- # If our civilization is destroyed, it will not be by… ![“If our civilization is destroyed, it will not be by barbarians from below. Our barbarians come from above.” quote by Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/henry-demarest-lloyd-52367_barbarians_if-our-civilization-is-destroyed-it-will_217782.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/henry-demarest-lloyd-52367_barbarians_if-our-civilization-is-destroyed-it-will_217782.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/henry-demarest-lloyd-52367_barbarians_if-our-civilization-is-destroyed-it-will_217782.jpg) > “If our civilization is destroyed, it will not be by barbarians from below. Our barbarians come from above.” [Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The warning that societal collapse will stem from elite powers, not grassroots forces. **In simple terms:** Elites cause collapse, not common people. Key Takeaway Watch for power concentration at the top. Themes politics society power warning Mood cautionary concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - government policy - corporate governance - social movements Key Concepts elite theory systemic risk Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate elite-driven decline? - How can citizens hold powerful groups accountable? A Different Perspective Elite actions can be hidden and harder to detect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarians/) [Barbarians Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarians-come-365033/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Destroyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-destroyed-1507452/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Destroyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyed/) [Destroyed Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyed-barbarians-2232602/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy saints Of the North have earned thiscrumb by their complaints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/civilization-must-be-destroyed-the-hairy-saints-of-the-north-have/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Ours may become the first civilization destroyed, not by the power of our enemies, but by the ignorance of our teachers and the dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ours-may-become-the-first-civilization-destroyed-not-by-the-power-of/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The barbarians come out at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee-2/the-barbarians-come-out-at-night/) [J. M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee-2/) > [“What are we waiting for, assembled in the forum? The barbarians are due here today. Why isn't anything happening in the senate? Why do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantine-cavafy/what-are-we-waiting-for-assembled-in-the-forum-the-barbarians-are-due/) [Constantine Cavafy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantine-cavafy/) > [“What happened? It took Gibbon six volumes to describe the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, so I shan’t embark on that. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/what-happened-it-took-gibbon-six-volumes-to-describe-the-decline-and/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [“In the end, the world and its civilization had not been destroyed by the purging flames of Heaven; instead it rotted away from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyo-komatsu/in-the-end-the-world-and-its-civilization-had-not-been-destroyed-by/) [Sakyo Komatsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyo-komatsu/) > [Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy saints of the North have earned this crumb by their complaints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/civilization-must-be-destroyed-the-hairy-saints-of-the-north-have-2/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“A civilization is not destroyed by wicked people; it is not necessary that people be wicked but only that they be spineless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-civilization-is-not-destroyed-by-wicked-people-it-is-not-necessary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If human civilization were to be destroyed and its cities wiped off the map, there would be an easy way for future intelligent life-forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/if-human-civilization-were-to-be-destroyed-and-its-cities-wiped-off/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [A civilization is destroyed only when its gods are destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/a-civilization-is-destroyed-only-when-its-gods-are-destroyed/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [If the Barbarians are destroyed, who will we then be able to blame for the bad things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/if-the-barbarians-are-destroyed-who-will-we-then-be-able-to-blame-for/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-islamic-conquest-of-india-is-probably-the-bloodiest-story-in/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [Is Islam a religion of peace? I'm sure for some of the practitioners, but it's been hijacked by people who have an ideology that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace-i-m-sure-for-some-of-the-practitioners/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Fain would we remain barbarians, if our claim to civilization were to be based on the gruesome glory of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fain-would-we-remain-barbarians-if-our-claim-to-civilization-were-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-triangle-of-truisms-of-father-mother-and-child-cannot-be/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## More by Henry Demarest Lloyd > [Only the rich can get justice, only the poor cannot escape it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-demarest-lloyd/only-the-rich-can-get-justice-only-the-poor-cannot-escape-it/) [Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/) > [Monopoly is business at the end of its journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-demarest-lloyd/monopoly-is-business-at-the-end-of-its-journey/) [Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/) > [Corporations can have no soul but they can love each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-demarest-lloyd/corporations-can-have-no-soul-but-they-can-love-each-other/) [Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/) > [The price of liberty is something more than eternal vigilance. There must also be eternal advance. We can save the rights we have inherited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-demarest-lloyd/the-price-of-liberty-is-something-more-than-eternal-vigilance-there/) [Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/) > [Liberty produces wealth, and wealth destroys liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-demarest-lloyd/liberty-produces-wealth-and-wealth-destroys-liberty/) [Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/) > [Churches come and go, but there has ever been but one religion. The only religion is conscience in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-demarest-lloyd/churches-come-and-go-but-there-has-ever-been-but-one-religion-the/) [Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/) [Explore all 7 Henry Demarest Lloyd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/) ## More Barbarians quotes > [School curricula that ignore the arts produce highly educated Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/school-curricula-that-ignore-the-arts-produce-highly-educated/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [Fain would we remain barbarians, if our claim to civilization were to be based on the gruesome glory of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fain-would-we-remain-barbarians-if-our-claim-to-civilization-were-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The idea that war should be conducted within a moral framework may seem like a quaint medieval practice, but as speech separates humans from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-idea-that-war-should-be-conducted-within-a-moral-framework-may/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is Islam a religion of peace? I'm sure for some of the practitioners, but it's been hijacked by people who have an ideology that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace-i-m-sure-for-some-of-the-practitioners/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [If you go back to the Conan the Barbarian series, I really liked that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/if-you-go-back-to-the-conan-the-barbarian-series-i-really-liked-that/) [Andre Braugher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-braugher/) > [America's critics can be heard everywhere. It is too much in love with money - worshipping the god of the marketplace, the golden calf.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-saatchi/america-s-critics-can-be-heard-everywhere-it-is-too-much-in-love-with/) [Maurice Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-saatchi/) > [I believe that every single human being is entitled to the protection of our laws, whether they can vote or not. Whether they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-believe-that-every-single-human-being-is-entitled-to-the-protection/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [The waiter brought fresh-baked bread and cheese, a bottle of sparkling water for Annabeth, and a Coke with ice for me (because I’m a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/the-waiter-brought-fresh-baked-bread-and-cheese-a-bottle-of-sparkling/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Why is she afraid?" he asked. "She's not Anjin-san. Just a little nervous. Please excuse her. She's never seen a foreigner close to before."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/why-is-she-afraid-he-asked-she-s-not-anjin-san-just-a-little-nervous/) [James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/) > [If all the barbarian conquerors had been annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have restored the empire of the West:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-all-the-barbarian-conquerors-had-been-annihilated-in-the-same-hour/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-islamic-conquest-of-india-is-probably-the-bloodiest-story-in/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [In this metallic age of barbarians, only a relentless cultivation of our ability to dream, to analyse and to captivate can prevent our personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/in-this-metallic-age-of-barbarians-only-a-relentless-cultivation-of/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [The member of a culture ... purposely avoids the relationship of intimacy; he wants the object somehow depicted and fictionalized. ... He is embarrassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/the-member-of-a-culture-purposely-avoids-the-relationship-of-intimacy/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [“Politics is the moat, the walls, beyond which lie the barbarians. Fail to keep them at bay, and everything burns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/politics-is-the-moat-the-walls-beyond-which-lie-the-barbarians-fail/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) [Browse all 280 Barbarians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarians/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If our civilization is destroyed, it will not be by barbarians from below. 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