--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the Confederacy fails, there should be…" description: "\"If the Confederacy fails, there should be written on its tombstone: Died of a Theory.\" — Jefferson Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/jefferson-davis-9399_should_if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be_1401278.jpg" --- # If the Confederacy fails, there should be written on its… ![“If the Confederacy fails, there should be written on its tombstone: Died of a Theory.” quote by Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/jefferson-davis-9399_should_if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be_1401278.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/jefferson-davis-9399_should_if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be_1401278.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/jefferson-davis-9399_should_if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be_1401278.jpg) > “If the Confederacy fails, there should be written on its tombstone: Died of a Theory.” [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A warning that clinging to flawed ideas can cause downfall. **In simple terms:** Ideas can be deadly. Key Takeaway Question your beliefs. Themes politics history ideology Mood reflective serious Type historical political When to use this quote - political discourse - education - leadership - policy making Key Concepts philosophy critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What theory guides your decisions? - How do you test the validity of your beliefs? A Different Perspective Ideas alone cannot sustain a cause without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confederacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederacy/) ## Related quotes > [“If the Confederacy falls, there should be written on its tombstone: Died of a theory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/if-the-confederacy-falls-there-should-be-written-on-its-tombstone/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Written on her tombstone: "I told you I was sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/written-on-her-tombstone-i-told-you-i-was-sick/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [“There are too many of them." Reyna wondered bitterly how many times she'd said that in her demigod career. She should have a badge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/there-are-too-many-of-them-reyna-wondered-bitterly-how-many-times-she/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“Ginger shrugged and batted her eyelids with innocence. “Those are words I like to live my life by—ambitious and daring. In fact, I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strauss/ginger-shrugged-and-batted-her-eyelids-with-innocence-those-are-words/) [Lee Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strauss/) > [When my time is over, lying in my grave Written on my tombstone, I want it to say This man was a legend, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mars-mavis-paul-john/when-my-time-is-over-lying-in-my-grave-written-on-my-tombstone-i-want/) [Mars Mavis Paul John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mars-mavis-paul-john/) > [If being the lightning rod that started the Tea Party is what's written on my tombstone, I'll be very happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santelli/if-being-the-lightning-rod-that-started-the-tea-party-is-what-s/) [Rick Santelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santelli/) > [It used to be that what was going to be written on my tombstone was 'Benjamin Wittes, former 'Washington Post' editorial writer,' or 'Benjamin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/it-used-to-be-that-what-was-going-to-be-written-on-my-tombstone-was/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [At Rest An American Soldier And Defender of the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/at-rest-an-american-soldier-and-defender-of-the-constitution/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/when-a-true-genius-appears-you-can-know-him-by-this-sign-that-all-the/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“When the singing ended, I chatted with others in my pew, including a tall, aristocratic-looking man with pomaded gray hair. I told him about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/when-the-singing-ended-i-chatted-with-others-in-my-pew-including-a/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [In the Confederate Army, an officer was judged by stark courage alone, and this made it possible for the Confederacy to live four years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesty-puller/in-the-confederate-army-an-officer-was-judged-by-stark-courage-alone/) [Chesty Puller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesty-puller/) > [If your great-great-grandfather participated on the Confederate side, and you hold some sentimental value to that, and you want to fly the flag and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/if-your-great-great-grandfather-participated-on-the-confederate-side/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [The triumph of the Confederacy... would be a victory for the powers of evil which would give courage to the enemies of progress and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-triumph-of-the-confederacy-would-be-a-victory-for-the-powers-of/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Neither these statesmen nor their constituents sought in any way to use the Government for the interest of themselves or their section, or for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/neither-these-statesmen-nor-their-constituents-sought-in-any-way-to/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) > [Let's say Twitter existed during the Civil War. We would have a better understanding of people in the Confederacy who were against slavery, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/let-s-say-twitter-existed-during-the-civil-war-we-would-have-a-better/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) ## More by Jefferson Davis > [Butler is branded a felon, an outlaw, an enemy of Mankind, and so ordered that in the event of his capture, the officer in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/butler-is-branded-a-felon-an-outlaw-an-enemy-of-mankind-and-so/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Whether by the House or by the People, if an Abolitionist be chosen President of the United States, you will have presented to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/whether-by-the-house-or-by-the-people-if-an-abolitionist-be-chosen/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Without doing injustice to the living, it may safely be asserted that our loss is irreparable; and that among the shining hosts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/without-doing-injustice-to-the-living-it-may-safely-be-asserted-that/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [The Slave must be made fit for his freedom by education and discipline, and thus made unfit for slavery. And as soon as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/the-slave-must-be-made-fit-for-his-freedom-by-education-and/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [This war must go on till the last of this generation falls in his tracks, and his children seize his musket and fight our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/this-war-must-go-on-till-the-last-of-this-generation-falls-in-his/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [I will admit no bond that holds me to a party a day longer than I agree to its principles. When men meet together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/i-will-admit-no-bond-that-holds-me-to-a-party-a-day-longer-than-i/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [How idle is this prating about natural rights as though still containing all that had been forfeited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/how-idle-is-this-prating-about-natural-rights-as-though-still/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [To increase the power, develop the resources and promote the happiness of a Confederacy, it is requisite there should be so much of homogeneity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/to-increase-the-power-develop-the-resources-and-promote-the-happiness/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Our armies were in as much chaos in victory as theirs in defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/our-armies-were-in-as-much-chaos-in-victory-as-theirs-in-defeat/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [The authors of all our misfortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/the-authors-of-all-our-misfortune/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [God forbid that the day should ever come when to be true to my constituents is to be hostile to the Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/god-forbid-that-the-day-should-ever-come-when-to-be-true-to-my/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [For an enemy so relentless in the war for our subjugation, we could not be expected to mourn; yet, in view of its political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/for-an-enemy-so-relentless-in-the-war-for-our-subjugation-we-could/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Governments rest on the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish them at will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/governments-rest-on-the-consent-of-the-governed-and-that-it-is-the/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [My own convictions as to negro slavery are strong. It has its evils and abuses...We recognize the negro as God and God's Book and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-are-strong-it-has-its-evils/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Neither current events nor history show that the majority rule, or ever did rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/neither-current-events-nor-history-show-that-the-majority-rule-or/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) [Explore all 71 Jefferson Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) ## More Confederacy quotes > [Let's say Twitter existed during the Civil War. We would have a better understanding of people in the Confederacy who were against slavery, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/let-s-say-twitter-existed-during-the-civil-war-we-would-have-a-better/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Neither these statesmen nor their constituents sought in any way to use the Government for the interest of themselves or their section, or for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/neither-these-statesmen-nor-their-constituents-sought-in-any-way-to/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) > [The triumph of the Confederacy... would be a victory for the powers of evil which would give courage to the enemies of progress and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-triumph-of-the-confederacy-would-be-a-victory-for-the-powers-of/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [If your great-great-grandfather participated on the Confederate side, and you hold some sentimental value to that, and you want to fly the flag and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/if-your-great-great-grandfather-participated-on-the-confederate-side/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [In the Confederate Army, an officer was judged by stark courage alone, and this made it possible for the Confederacy to live four years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesty-puller/in-the-confederate-army-an-officer-was-judged-by-stark-courage-alone/) [Chesty Puller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesty-puller/) > [When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/when-a-true-genius-appears-you-can-know-him-by-this-sign-that-all-the/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“When the singing ended, I chatted with others in my pew, including a tall, aristocratic-looking man with pomaded gray hair. I told him about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/when-the-singing-ended-i-chatted-with-others-in-my-pew-including-a/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [The idea of aerial military surveillance dates back to the Civil War, when both the Union and the Confederacy used hot-air balloons to spy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-idea-of-aerial-military-surveillance-dates-back-to-the-civil-war/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [In many ways, the North won the Civil War militarily and then lost the peace. You know, a group of writers, included many Confederate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/in-many-ways-the-north-won-the-civil-war-militarily-and-then-lost-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Criticism of Davis was neither new nor unusual, for his Confederacy was by no means a monolithic state. Secession had been imposed upon many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burke-davis/criticism-of-davis-was-neither-new-nor-unusual-for-his-confederacy/) Burke Davis > [The United States form a young republic, a confederacy which ought ever to be cemented by a union of interests and affection, under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercy-otis-warren/the-united-states-form-a-young-republic-a-confederacy-which-ought/) [Mercy Otis Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercy-otis-warren/) > [The framers of our Constitution never exhausted so much labor, wisdom, and forbearance in its formation, and surrounded it with so many guards and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/the-framers-of-our-constitution-never-exhausted-so-much-labor-wisdom-2/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [In 1961, an official U.S. commission oversaw thousands of events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the American Civil War. All 50 states joined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/in-1961-an-official-u-s-commission-oversaw-thousands-of-events-to/) [Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/) > [I like characters like Ignatius Reilly in 'A Confederacy of Dunces' and Ricky Gervais's character in 'The Office.' They think one thing about themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/i-like-characters-like-ignatius-reilly-in-a-confederacy-of-dunces-and/) [Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/) > [If the Constitution is adopted (and it was) the Union will be in fact and in theory an association of States or a Confederacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/if-the-constitution-is-adopted-and-it-was-the-union-will-be-in-fact/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) [Browse all 56 Confederacy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederacy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the Confederacy fails, there should be written on its tombstone: Died of a Theory.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jefferson Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be-written-on-its-tombstone/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confederacy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be-written-on-its-tombstone/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/jefferson-davis-9399_should_if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be_1401278.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/jefferson-davis-9399_should_if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be_1401278.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/jefferson-davis-9399_should_if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be_1401278.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If the Confederacy fails, there should be written on its tombstone: Died of a Theory.” — Jefferson Davis", "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": "Jefferson Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If the Confederacy fails, there should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be-written-on-its-tombstone/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/if-the-confederacy-fails-there-should-be-written-on-its-tombstone/#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 } } ] } ```