--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a mistake to assume that government…" description: "\"It is a mistake to assume that government must necessarily last forever. The institution marks a certain stage of civilization-is natural to a particul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/herbert-spencer-1765_assuming_it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-governmen_1935028.jpg" --- # It is a mistake to assume that government must necessarily… ![“It is a mistake to assume that government must necessarily last forever. The institution marks a certain stage of civilization-is natural to a particular phase of human development. It is not essential, but incidental. As amongst the Bushmen we find a state antecedent to government, so may there…” quote by Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/herbert-spencer-1765_assuming_it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-governmen_1935028.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/herbert-spencer-1765_assuming_it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-governmen_1935028.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/herbert-spencer-1765_assuming_it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-governmen_1935028.jpg) > “It is a mistake to assume that government must necessarily last forever. The institution marks a certain stage of civilization-is natural to a particular phase of human development. It is not essential, but incidental. As amongst the Bushmen we find a state antecedent to government, so may there be one in which it shall have become extinct.” [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Governments are temporary structures that arise in specific stages of human development and may eventually disappear. **In simple terms:** Governments are not permanent; they can become obsolete. Key Takeaway Recognize that political systems can evolve or dissolve. Themes politics societal evolution temporality civilization anthropology Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - policy analysis - historical study - anthropological research - future planning - education Key Concepts Social contract historical cycles state formation Questions to Reflect On - Will future societies thrive without formal governments? - How do cultural values affect the lifespan of institutions? A Different Perspective Assumes all societies follow a linear progression toward or away from government. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antecedent Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antecedent-government-3050752/) [Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) [Bushmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bushmen/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/development/) [Essentials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentials/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Forever Institution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever-institution-3050753/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Necessarily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-necessarily-1555428/) [Government Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-shall-482204/) [Human development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-development/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Last forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-forever/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Phases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phases/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Shall Extinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shall-extinct-3050754/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) ## Related quotes > [“When I was ten years old, one of my friends brought a Shaleenian kangaroo-cat to school one day. I remember the way it hopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/when-i-was-ten-years-old-one-of-my-friends-brought-a-shaleenian/) [David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/) > [Corporations care very much about maintaining the myth that government is necessarily ineffective, except when it is spending money on the military-industrial complex, building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lerner/corporations-care-very-much-about-maintaining-the-myth-that/) [Michael Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lerner/) > [“It's every American's duty to support his government but not necessarily in the style to which it has become accustomed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-clifford-mann/it-s-every-american-s-duty-to-support-his-government-but-not/) [Thomas Clifford Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-clifford-mann/) > [Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-millions-voting-themselves-into/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [“Then, too, the Ju/wa men had an inherent, almost natural bravery that everyone took entirely for granted. They hunted the world’s most dangerous game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/then-too-the-ju-wa-men-had-an-inherent-almost-natural-bravery-that/) [Elizabeth Marshall Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marshall-thomas/) > [I gave one permaculture course in Botswana, and now my students are out in the bloody desert in Namibia teaching Bushmen - whose language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/i-gave-one-permaculture-course-in-botswana-and-now-my-students-are/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [Fish have water, the bushmen of the Kalahari have sand, and Houstonians have interior décor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hoggart/fish-have-water-the-bushmen-of-the-kalahari-have-sand-and-houstonians/) [Simon Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hoggart/) > [I don't want to take a pill. Go to Africa, go follow some bushman around. He's being chased by a lion. That's stress. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-don-t-want-to-take-a-pill-go-to-africa-go-follow-some-bushman/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [“Those are the dangerous moments. They show us that the adjustment is only artificial, that it is not simple rest, but sharpest struggle for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/those-are-the-dangerous-moments-they-show-us-that-the-adjustment-is/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [You can't live like a Bushman or an Aborigine anymore, so they've got to rethink the whole basis of how they're going to live.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/you-can-t-live-like-a-bushman-or-an-aborigine-anymore-so-they-ve-got/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [The greatest mystery about a human being is not his reaction to sex or praise, but the manner in which he contrives to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/the-greatest-mystery-about-a-human-being-is-not-his-reaction-to-sex/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [If someone starts talking about pride today I'm going to vomit... The Apache nation had pride and look where they are. The bushmen of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hook/if-someone-starts-talking-about-pride-today-i-m-going-to-vomit-the/) [George Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hook/) > [To a mathematician the eleventh means only a single unit: to the bushman who cannot count further than his ten fingers it is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/to-a-mathematician-the-eleventh-means-only-a-single-unit-to-the/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Richard Lee calculated that a Bushman child will be carried a distance of 4,900 miles before he begins to walk on his own. Since,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/richard-lee-calculated-that-a-bushman-child-will-be-carried-a/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [If you ask an Auin Bushman what realty happens at the puberty ceremonials, he will tell you, "We dance." In the initiation customs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-sachs/if-you-ask-an-auin-bushman-what-realty-happens-at-the-puberty/) [Curt Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-sachs/) ## More by Herbert Spencer > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Any piece of knowledge which the pupil has himself acquired- any problem which he has himself solved, becomes, by virtue of the conquest, much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/any-piece-of-knowledge-which-the-pupil-has-himself-acquired-any/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Conservatism defends those coercive arrangements which a still-lingering savageness makes requisite. Radicalism endeavours to realize a state more in harmony with the character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/conservatism-defends-those-coercive-arrangements-which-a-still/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Absolute morality is the regulation of conduct in such a way that pain shall not be inflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/absolute-morality-is-the-regulation-of-conduct-in-such-a-way-that/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [When a man's knowledge is not in order, the more of it he has the greater will be his confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/when-a-man-s-knowledge-is-not-in-order-the-more-of-it-he-has-the/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [The cruelty of a Fijian god, who, represented as devouring the souls of the dead, may be supposed to inflict torture during the process,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/the-cruelty-of-a-fijian-god-who-represented-as-devouring-the-souls-of/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [The liberty the citizen enjoys is to be measured not by governmental machinery he lives under, whether representative or other, but by the paucity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/the-liberty-the-citizen-enjoys-is-to-be-measured-not-by-governmental/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [I had a great dislike to the annoyances entailed by baggage; and it was always with some feeling of elation that I cut myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/i-had-a-great-dislike-to-the-annoyances-entailed-by-baggage-and-it/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Progress, therefore, is not an accident, but a necessity…It is a part of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/progress-therefore-is-not-an-accident-but-a-necessity-it-is-a-part-of/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Surely in much talk there cannot choose but be much vanity. Loquacity is the fistula of the mind,--ever-running and almost incurable, let every man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/surely-in-much-talk-there-cannot-choose-but-be-much-vanity-loquacity/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [No one can be perfectly free till all are free; no one can be perfectly moral till all are moral; no one can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-one-can-be-perfectly-free-till-all-are-free-no-one-can-be/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Only when Genius is married to Science can the highest results be produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/only-when-genius-is-married-to-science-can-the-highest-results-be/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [It cannot but happen?that those will survive whose functions happen to be most nearly in equilibrium with the modified aggregate of external forces? This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/it-cannot-but-happen-that-those-will-survive-whose-functions-happen/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [“Before he can remake his society, his society must make him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/before-he-can-remake-his-society-his-society-must-make-him/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) [Explore all 210 Herbert Spencer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) ## More Assuming quotes > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) [James T. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-conway/) > [Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/everyone-assumes-writers-spend-their-time-lounging-around-writing-and/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [People just assume that if you're famous, you're in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/people-just-assume-that-if-you-re-famous-you-re-in-hollywood/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is a mistake to assume that government must necessarily last forever. The institution marks a certain stage of civilization-is natural to a particular phase of human development. It is not essential, but incidental. As amongst the Bushmen we find a state antecedent to government, so may there be one in which it shall have become extinct.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Herbert Spencer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-government-must-necessarily-last/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assuming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-government-must-necessarily-last/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/herbert-spencer-1765_assuming_it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-governmen_1935028.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/herbert-spencer-1765_assuming_it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-governmen_1935028.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/herbert-spencer-1765_assuming_it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-governmen_1935028.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is a mistake to assume that government must necessarily last forever. The institution marks a certain…” — Herbert Spencer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Herbert Spencer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is a mistake to assume...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-government-must-necessarily-last/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-government-must-necessarily-last/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```