--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is always a city. There is always a…" description: "\"“There is always a city. There is always a civilization. There is always a barbarian with a pickaxe. Sometimes you are the city, sometimes you are the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da4/jeanette-winterson-166_barbarians_there-is-always-a-city-there-is-always-a_2540447.jpg" --- # There is always a city. There is always a civilization… ![“There is always a city. There is always a civilization. There is always a barbarian with a pickaxe. Sometimes you are the city, sometimes you are the civilization, but to become that city, that civilization, you once took a pickaxe and destroyed what you hated, and what you hated is what you did…” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da4/jeanette-winterson-166_barbarians_there-is-always-a-city-there-is-always-a_2540447.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da4/jeanette-winterson-166_barbarians_there-is-always-a-city-there-is-always-a_2540447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da4/jeanette-winterson-166_barbarians_there-is-always-a-city-there-is-always-a_2540447.jpg) > ““There is always a city. There is always a civilization. There is always a barbarian with a pickaxe. Sometimes you are the city, sometimes you are the civilization, but to become that city, that civilization, you once took a pickaxe and destroyed what you hated, and what you hated is what you did not understand.”” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civilization and barbarism are two sides of the same coin; transformation requires confronting and destroying what you misunderstand. **In simple terms:** Understanding requires confronting the unknown. Key Takeaway Challenge your assumptions. Themes growth conflict transformation Mood provocative introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - political activism - personal growth - conflict resolution - artistic creation Key Concepts philosophy social dynamics identity Questions to Reflect On - What ‘pickaxe’ have you wielded? - What do you fear to understand? A Different Perspective Destruction may cause collateral damage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarians/) [City Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-civilization-1427802/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Barbarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-barbarian-1427798/) [Civilization City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-city-1427796/) [Civilization Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-took-1427800/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ## Related quotes > [“I looked down at this city, this civilization, and I realized just how little I really knew about a world where there was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-julien/i-looked-down-at-this-city-this-civilization-and-i-realized-just-how/) [M.B. 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