--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When work goes out of style we may expect…" description: "\"When work goes out of style we may expect to see civilization totter and fall.\" — John D. Rockefeller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/john-d-rockefeller-3693_civilization_when-work-goes-out-of-style-we-may-expec_418933.jpg" --- # When work goes out of style we may expect to see… ![“When work goes out of style we may expect to see civilization totter and fall.” quote by John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/john-d-rockefeller-3693_civilization_when-work-goes-out-of-style-we-may-expec_418933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/john-d-rockefeller-3693_civilization_when-work-goes-out-of-style-we-may-expec_418933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/john-d-rockefeller-3693_civilization_when-work-goes-out-of-style-we-may-expec_418933.jpg) > “When work goes out of style we may expect to see civilization totter and fall.” [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If work loses relevance, society may become unstable and collapse. **In simple terms:** Work is essential for societal stability. Key Takeaway Support meaningful work and adaptability. Themes work society stability change Mood concerned reflective Type sociological cautionary When to use this quote - employment policy - education - technology disruption Key Concepts economics social contract future studies Questions to Reflect On - What roles can art play in stability? - How can we future‑proof work? A Different Perspective Work alone cannot prevent all societal decline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Totter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-totter-3717766/) [Expect Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect-civilization-3717765/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-goes-950149/) ## Related quotes > [“Instead of adapting, their leaders clung to power and strove instead to be the last ones to starve to death. The Mayan civilization in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/instead-of-adapting-their-leaders-clung-to-power-and-strove-instead/) [Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/) > [Nobody knows the hard work that goes in the morning before I do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-harvey/nobody-knows-the-hard-work-that-goes-in-the-morning-before-i-do/) [Matt Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-harvey/) > [It's so many years of reading story. You leave work and it goes away till you see it air on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-young/it-s-so-many-years-of-reading-story-you-leave-work-and-it-goes-away/) [Jacob Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-young/) > [Where the work goes, I go. Wherever adulation occurs, that's where you'll find me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/where-the-work-goes-i-go-wherever-adulation-occurs-that-s-where-you/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [I own a ranch in Texas, so there's always something to do as far as work goes, whether it's tractor stuff or tearing down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/i-own-a-ranch-in-texas-so-there-s-always-something-to-do-as-far-as/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [Behind every easy role, there is a lot of hard work that goes in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawazuddin-siddiqui/behind-every-easy-role-there-is-a-lot-of-hard-work-that-goes-in/) [Nawazuddin Siddiqui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawazuddin-siddiqui/) > [My mum always says work goes in waves: you have a good spell and then it dips.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/my-mum-always-says-work-goes-in-waves-you-have-a-good-spell-and-then/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [Bad things happen when people work together. Everything goes out of control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/bad-things-happen-when-people-work-together-everything-goes-out-of/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [Your name still comes up at work whenever something goes horribly wrong and we don't want to take the blame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-name-still-comes-up-at-work-whenever-something-goes-horribly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-work-goes-on-the-cause-endures-the-hope-still-lives-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's funny: when you're an artist, your own work goes in and out of fashion with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/it-s-funny-when-you-re-an-artist-your-own-work-goes-in-and-out-of/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [“No going around it, no short cuts, no laying of hands, no amount of service, no amount of prophecy, without hard work, everything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/no-going-around-it-no-short-cuts-no-laying-of-hands-no-amount-of/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“...the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/the-work-goes-on-the-cause-endures-the-hope-still-lives-and-the-dream/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [There's no better girlfriend than your own work, because when it goes away, you realise how important it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anu-malik/there-s-no-better-girlfriend-than-your-own-work-because-when-it-goes/) [Anu Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anu-malik/) > [Like I always say, it's a team effort. A lot of behind the scenes work goes in when we're at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-spieth/like-i-always-say-it-s-a-team-effort-a-lot-of-behind-the-scenes-work/) [Jordan Spieth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-spieth/) ## More by John D. Rockefeller > [If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/if-your-only-goal-is-to-become-rich-you-will-never-achieve-it/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [I would rather hire a man with enthusiasm, than a man who knows everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/i-would-rather-hire-a-man-with-enthusiasm-than-a-man-who-knows/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [“The secret to success is to do the common things uncommonly well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/the-secret-to-success-is-to-do-the-common-things-uncommonly-well/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [After it is all over, the religion of man is his most important possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/after-it-is-all-over-the-religion-of-man-is-his-most-important/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [There is no feeling in this world to be compared with self-reliance--do not sacrifice that to anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/there-is-no-feeling-in-this-world-to-be-compared-with-self-reliance/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [The American Beauty Rose can be produced in the splendor and fragrance which bring cheer to its beholder only by sacrificing the early buds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/the-american-beauty-rose-can-be-produced-in-the-splendor-and/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [To think! All that power and he wasn't even rich!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/to-think-all-that-power-and-he-wasn-t-even-rich/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [The only question with wealth is, what do you do with it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/the-only-question-with-wealth-is-what-do-you-do-with-it/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/i-know-of-nothing-more-despicable-and-pathetic-than-a-man-who-devotes/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/i-always-tried-to-turn-every-disaster-into-an-opportunity/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [There is nothing in this world that can compare with the Christian fellowship; nothing that can satisfy but Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/there-is-nothing-in-this-world-that-can-compare-with-the-christian/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [“I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/i-believe-in-the-supreme-worth-of-the-individual-and-in-his-right-to/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/i-do-not-think-there-is-any-other-quality-so-essential-to-success-of/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [The major fortunes in America have been made in land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/the-major-fortunes-in-america-have-been-made-in-land/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) [Explore all 123 John D. Rockefeller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) [Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When work goes out of style we may expect to see civilization totter and fall.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John D. 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