---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: California, that advance post of our…"
description: "\"California, that advance post of our civilization, with its huge aircraft factories, TV and film studios, automobile way of life... its flavourless cos..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ac/j-b-priestley-9291_aircraft_california-that-advance-post-of-our-civi_2862790.jpg"
---

#  California, that advance post of our civilization, with…

![“California, that advance post of our civilization, with its huge aircraft factories, TV and film studios, automobile way of life... its flavourless cosmopolitanism, its charlatan philosophies and religions, its lack of anything old and well-tried rooted in tradition and character.” quote by J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ac/j-b-priestley-9291_aircraft_california-that-advance-post-of-our-civi_2862790.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ac/j-b-priestley-9291_aircraft_california-that-advance-post-of-our-civi_2862790.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ac/j-b-priestley-9291_aircraft_california-that-advance-post-of-our-civi_2862790.jpg)

> “California, that advance post of our civilization, with its huge aircraft factories, TV and film studios, automobile way of life... its flavourless cosmopolitanism, its charlatan philosophies and religions, its lack of anything old and well-tried rooted in tradition and character.”

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Modern civilization, with its mass production and media, lacks tradition and depth, leading to superficiality.

**In simple terms:** Modern life is shallow, lacking tradition.

Key Takeaway

Seek depth beyond material progress.

Themes

modernity tradition culture superficiality

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- cultural preservation
- mindful consumption
- community rituals

Key Concepts

sociology critique historical perspective

Questions to Reflect On

- What traditions can be revived today?
- How can progress honor heritage?

A Different Perspective

May overlook benefits of modern advances.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Automobile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile/) [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Cosmopolitanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmopolitanism/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy and religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-and-religion/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/)

## Related quotes

> [“I want to affirm that thinking and living, knowing and doing, theory and practice intersect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/i-want-to-affirm-that-thinking-and-living-knowing-and-doing-theory/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [“One should regard one's religious or denominational affiliation as a point of departure, a point of entry, not the point of arrival because on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/one-should-regard-one-s-religious-or-denominational-affiliation-as-a/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [“Religion is about hospitality, solidarity, and responsibility or it is nothing at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/religion-is-about-hospitality-solidarity-and-responsibility-or-it-is/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [“Whenever one comes to the the table for interreligous dialogue, there is what I would call an \_ecumenical taboo\_ that one has to comply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/whenever-one-comes-to-the-the-table-for-interreligous-dialogue-there/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [That man's the best cosmopolite Who loves his native country best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/that-man-s-the-best-cosmopolite-who-loves-his-native-country-best/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [“What does it mean to be human, to continue to live as human, to remain \_faithful\_ to the Divine while living in a cultural,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/what-does-it-mean-to-be-human-to-continue-to-live-as-human-to-remain/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [“Cosmopolitanism emphasizes and is grounded in a \_singular relationality between and among people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/cosmopolitanism-emphasizes-and-is-grounded-in-a-singular/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [We are social beings who make communities with an urgency, and it is a stern charge to make us take refuge in the lonely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/we-are-social-beings-who-make-communities-with-an-urgency-and-it-is-a/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [“Who are theologians? What kind of self-identity could or should a theologian claim? Should a theologian be a defender or transmitter of Christian \_tradition\_?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/who-are-theologians-what-kind-of-self-identity-could-or-should-a/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [“the overall theme of theology can be twofold: the search for meaning and the responsibility one has to the others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/the-overall-theme-of-theology-can-be-twofold-the-search-for-meaning/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [Conversation doesn’t have to lead to consensus about anything especially not values; it’s enough that it helps people get used to one another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-anthony-appiah/conversation-doesn-t-have-to-lead-to-consensus-about-anything/)

[Kwame Anthony Appiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-anthony-appiah/)

> [We know that art is connected with the land, with its salt, with its smell, that outside of national culture there is no art.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilya-ehrenburg/we-know-that-art-is-connected-with-the-land-with-its-salt-with-its/)

[Ilya Ehrenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilya-ehrenburg/)

> [“I believe theology should be about one's way of life, a kind of gaze into onesself and others, and a mode of one's profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/i-believe-theology-should-be-about-one-s-way-of-life-a-kind-of-gaze/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [“Cosmopolitan theology affirms and radicalizes the belief that the Divine creates each and every human being as equal to every one else as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/cosmopolitan-theology-affirms-and-radicalizes-the-belief-that-the/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

> [“Cosmopolitanism has offered me an ethical perspective and a conceptual framework with which to read the \_signs of our times\_ as a theologian and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/cosmopolitanism-has-offered-me-an-ethical-perspective-and-a/)

[Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/)

## More by J. B. Priestley

> [In a world shaped and colored more and more by politicians, the nations meet politically, and hardly any other way to settle their differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/in-a-world-shaped-and-colored-more-and-more-by-politicians-the/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [Many a man is praised for his reserve and so-called shyness when he is simply too proud to risk making a fool of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/many-a-man-is-praised-for-his-reserve-and-so-called-shyness-when-he/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [To make the most of Christmas, focus on Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/to-make-the-most-of-christmas-focus-on-christ/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [A novelist who writes nothing for 10 years finds his reputation rising. Because I keep on producing books they say there must be something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/a-novelist-who-writes-nothing-for-10-years-finds-his-reputation/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [To show a child what once delighted you, to find the child's delight added to your own - this is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/to-show-a-child-what-once-delighted-you-to-find-the-child-s-delight/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/the-first-fall-of-snow-is-not-only-an-event-it-is-a-magical-event-you/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [I fancy that the Hell of Too Many People would occupy a respectable place in the hierarchy of infernal regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/i-fancy-that-the-hell-of-too-many-people-would-occupy-a-respectable/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [It is good fiction, so largely ignored now, that brings us so much closer to the real facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/it-is-good-fiction-so-largely-ignored-now-that-brings-us-so-much/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/i-have-always-been-delighted-at-the-prospect-of-a-new-day-a-fresh-try/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [Perhaps it would be better not to be a writer, but if you must, then write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/perhaps-it-would-be-better-not-to-be-a-writer-but-if-you-must-then/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [What a grand, higgledy-piggledy, sensible old place Norwich is!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/what-a-grand-higgledy-piggledy-sensible-old-place-norwich-is/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [Man, the creature who knows he must die, who has dreams larger than his destiny, who is forever working a confidence trick on himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/man-the-creature-who-knows-he-must-die-who-has-dreams-larger-than-his/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [There are plenty of clever young writers. But there is too much genius, not enough talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/there-are-plenty-of-clever-young-writers-but-there-is-too-much-genius/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [If you are a genius, you'll make your own rules, but if not - and the odds are against it - go to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/if-you-are-a-genius-you-ll-make-your-own-rules-but-if-not-and-the/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [But some of us are beginning to pull well away, in our irritation, from...the exquisite tasters, the vintage snobs, the three-star Michelin gourmets. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/but-some-of-us-are-beginning-to-pull-well-away-in-our-irritation-from/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

[Explore all 73 J. B. Priestley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

## More Aircraft quotes

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [This aircraft tops everything. All the others look old as compared to this one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niki-lauda/this-aircraft-tops-everything-all-the-others-look-old-as-compared-to/)

[Niki Lauda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niki-lauda/)

> [“A flat tire is like a bad attitude, you won't go anywhere until you change it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-brown/a-flat-tire-is-like-a-bad-attitude-you-won-t-go-anywhere-until-you/)

Winston Brown

> [I established strong connections between Rockwell and Israel Aircraft Industries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnon-milchan/i-established-strong-connections-between-rockwell-and-israel-aircraft/)

[Arnon Milchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnon-milchan/)

> [You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-mentioned-the-navy-for-example-and-that-we-have-fewer-ships-than/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Our Red Army now needs IL-2 aircraft like the air it breathes, like the bread it eats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/our-red-army-now-needs-il-2-aircraft-like-the-air-it-breathes-like/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [What is the value of having millions of people in Iraq not having a repressive regime? What is the value of having the Iraqi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/what-is-the-value-of-having-millions-of-people-in-iraq-not-having-a/)

[Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/)

> [At the end of the first half-century of engine-driven flight, we are confronted with the stark fact that the historical significance of aircraft has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/at-the-end-of-the-first-half-century-of-engine-driven-flight-we-are/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [We have built a total of about 1250 of this aircraft, but only fifty were allowed to be used as fighters - as interceptors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-galland/we-have-built-a-total-of-about-1250-of-this-aircraft-but-only-fifty/)

[Adolf Galland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-galland/)

> [These abnormal aspects included the shapes of UFOs and their behavior. Most of the UFOs seen in the daytime were said to have had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-berliner/these-abnormal-aspects-included-the-shapes-of-ufos-and-their-behavior/)

[Don Berliner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-berliner/)

> [Marines have a cynical approach to war. They believe in three things; liberty, payday and that when two Marines are together in a fight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-pyle/marines-have-a-cynical-approach-to-war-they-believe-in-three-things/)

[Ernie Pyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-pyle/)

> [I used to own some hobby aircraft, but I got rid of them. I didn't have the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-kalitta/i-used-to-own-some-hobby-aircraft-but-i-got-rid-of-them-i-didn-t-have/)

[Connie Kalitta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-kalitta/)

> [California is a tragic country — like Palestine, like every Promised Land. Its short history is a fever-chart of migrations — the land rush,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/california-is-a-tragic-country-like-palestine-like-every-promised/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [Every time I've flown an aircraft, or visited a steelworks, or watched a panel-beater at work, I've learned something new that can be applied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/every-time-i-ve-flown-an-aircraft-or-visited-a-steelworks-or-watched/)

[Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/)

> [There is also the fact that NORAD-Northeast was conducting war game exercises that morning, a fact that has been very little talked about and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-marrs/there-is-also-the-fact-that-norad-northeast-was-conducting-war-game/)

[Jim Marrs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-marrs/)

Browse all 209 Aircraft quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "California, that advance post of our civilization, with its huge aircraft factories, TV and film studios, automobile way of life... its flavourless cosmopolitanism, its charlatan philosophies and religions, its lack of anything old and well-tried rooted in tradition and character.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "J. B. Priestley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/california-that-advance-post-of-our-civilization-with-its-huge/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aircraft"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/california-that-advance-post-of-our-civilization-with-its-huge/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ac/j-b-priestley-9291_aircraft_california-that-advance-post-of-our-civi_2862790.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ac/j-b-priestley-9291_aircraft_california-that-advance-post-of-our-civi_2862790.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ac/j-b-priestley-9291_aircraft_california-that-advance-post-of-our-civi_2862790.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“California, that advance post of our civilization, with its huge aircraft factories, TV and film studios…” — J. B. Priestley",
                "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": "J. B. Priestley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "California, that advance post of our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/california-that-advance-post-of-our-civilization-with-its-huge/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/california-that-advance-post-of-our-civilization-with-its-huge/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
