--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All political revolutions, not affected…" description: "\"All political revolutions, not affected by foreign conquest, originate in moral revolutions. The subversion of established institutions is merely one c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/john-stuart-mill-477_affected_all-political-revolutions-not-affected-b_852941.png" --- # All political revolutions, not affected by foreign… ![“All political revolutions, not affected by foreign conquest, originate in moral revolutions. The subversion of established institutions is merely one consequence of the previous subversion of established opinions.” quote by John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/john-stuart-mill-477_affected_all-political-revolutions-not-affected-b_852941.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/john-stuart-mill-477_affected_all-political-revolutions-not-affected-b_852941.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/john-stuart-mill-477_affected_all-political-revolutions-not-affected-b_852941.png) > “All political revolutions, not affected by foreign conquest, originate in moral revolutions. The subversion of established institutions is merely one consequence of the previous subversion of established opinions.” [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political upheavals that are not caused by external forces stem from deep moral shifts; changing core beliefs leads to institutional change. **In simple terms:** Moral change drives political change. Key Takeaway Focus on reshaping values before institutions. Themes politics morality change revolution society Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - activism - policy reform - education campaigns - community dialogues Key Concepts social contract ethical foundations institutional dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What core belief must change to spark reform? - How can societies nurture ethical reflection? A Different Perspective Moral shifts can be slow and face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affected/) [Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral Revolutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-revolutions-770610/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political Revolutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-revolutions-770611/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Revolutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutions/) [Revolutions Affected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutions-affected-770613/) [Revolutions Subversion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutions-subversion-770612/) ## Related quotes > [“I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-meant-the-moral-to-be-that-revolutions-only-effect-a-radical/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Now since France has three times in sixty years failed to obtain practical results from Political revolutions, all Europe is apt to press forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/now-since-france-has-three-times-in-sixty-years-failed-to-obtain/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [Political revolutions aim to change political institutions in ways that those institutions themselves prohibit. Their success therefore necessitates the partial relinquishment of one set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kuhn/political-revolutions-aim-to-change-political-institutions-in-ways/) [Thomas Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kuhn/) > [Humanity has experienced many revolutionary changes over the course of history: revolutions in agriculture, in science, industrial production, as well as numerous political revolutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/humanity-has-experienced-many-revolutionary-changes-over-the-course/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [And lastly, the political revolutions from 1911 to the present time have done more to bring about tremendous social changes everywhere than even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-shih/and-lastly-the-political-revolutions-from-1911-to-the-present-time/) [Hu Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-shih/) > [There is little doubt that we are in the midst of a revolution of a much more profound and fundamental nature than the social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-erickson/there-is-little-doubt-that-we-are-in-the-midst-of-a-revolution-of-a/) [Arthur Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-erickson/) > [I am fully aware of the concept of political revolutions. After all, that is what we hoped might happen in the U.S.S.R. and Eastern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/i-am-fully-aware-of-the-concept-of-political-revolutions-after-all/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [For hundreds of millions of people, the fall of the Berlin Wall was a great triumph: The moment marked the end of hated dictatorships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/for-hundreds-of-millions-of-people-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-was-a/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Moral revolutions are typically seen retrospectively. Prospectively, the revolutionaries tend to look like crazy people, and sometimes they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/moral-revolutions-are-typically-seen-retrospectively-prospectively/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [As in political revolutions, so in paradigm choice--there is no standard higher than the assent of the relevant community. To discover how scientific revolutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kuhn/as-in-political-revolutions-so-in-paradigm-choice-there-is-no-2/) [Thomas Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kuhn/) > [The revolutions of thought which shape the basic outlook of an age are not disseminated through text-books- they spread like epidemics, through contamination by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-revolutions-of-thought-which-shape-the-basic-outlook-of-an-age/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Music used to cause revolutions and I'm not seeing much revolution anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/music-used-to-cause-revolutions-and-i-m-not-seeing-much-revolution/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [“Don't be afraid to go left when the world is going right. The French learned that the people have power to make change, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-r-lemieux/don-t-be-afraid-to-go-left-when-the-world-is-going-right-the-french/) [Martin R. Lemieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-r-lemieux/) > [History respects revolutions; and yet, if a revolution is progressive, support it; if it is reactionary, resist it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/history-respects-revolutions-and-yet-if-a-revolution-is-progressive/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## More by John Stuart Mill > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Liberty lies in the rights of that person whose views you find most odious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/liberty-lies-in-the-rights-of-that-person-whose-views-you-find-most/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Truth emerges from the clash of adverse ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/truth-emerges-from-the-clash-of-adverse-ideas/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“No longer enslaved or made dependent by force of law, the great majority are so by force of poverty; they are still chained to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/no-longer-enslaved-or-made-dependent-by-force-of-law-the-great/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [All acts suppose certain dispositions, and habits of mind and heart, which may be in themselves states of enjoyment or of wretchedness, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-acts-suppose-certain-dispositions-and-habits-of-mind-and-heart/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Unfortunately for the good sense of mankind, the fact of their fallibility is far from carrying the weight in their practical judgement, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/unfortunately-for-the-good-sense-of-mankind-the-fact-of-their/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“In history, as in traveling, men usually see only what they already had in their own minds; and few learn much from history, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/in-history-as-in-traveling-men-usually-see-only-what-they-already-had/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [All errors which a man is likely to commit against advice are far outweighed by the evil of allowing others to constrain him for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-errors-which-a-man-is-likely-to-commit-against-advice-are-far/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/every-great-movement-must-experience-three-stages-ridicule-discussion/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [The successful conduct of an industrial enterprise requires two quite distinct qualifications: fidelity and zeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-successful-conduct-of-an-industrial-enterprise-requires-two-quite/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [ “\[For people\] to refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/for-people-to-refuse-a-hearing-to-an-opinion-because-they-are-sure/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [This is what writers mean when they say that the notion of cause involves the idea of necessity. If there be any meaning which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/this-is-what-writers-mean-when-they-say-that-the-notion-of-cause/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“Protection, therefore, against tyranny of the magistrate is not enough: there needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling; against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/protection-therefore-against-tyranny-of-the-magistrate-is-not-enough/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Landlords grow rich in their sleep without working, risking or economizing. The increase in the value of land, arising as it does from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/landlords-grow-rich-in-their-sleep-without-working-risking-or/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [There is one characteristic of the present direction of public opinion, peculiarly calculated to make it intolerant of any marked demonstration of individuality. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/there-is-one-characteristic-of-the-present-direction-of-public/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) [Explore all 524 John Stuart Mill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) ## More Affected quotes > [To tell you the truth I am hard put to think of anyone who's career was affected significantly by making all those phone calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabney-coleman/to-tell-you-the-truth-i-am-hard-put-to-think-of-anyone-who-s-career/) [Dabney Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabney-coleman/) > [First, climate change is the greatest long-term threat faced by humanity. It could cause more human and financial suffering than the two world wars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miliband/first-climate-change-is-the-greatest-long-term-threat-faced-by/) [David Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miliband/) > [Be a pattern to others, and then all will go well; for as a whole city is affected by the licentious passions and vices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/be-a-pattern-to-others-and-then-all-will-go-well-for-as-a-whole-city/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [Every culture, if its natural development is not too much affected by political restrictions, experiences a perpetual renewal of the formative urge, and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/every-culture-if-its-natural-development-is-not-too-much-affected-by/) [Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/) > [Don't show them that you are affected.. Instead, show them that you are happy even without them.. To put a sad face on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharlene05/don-t-show-them-that-you-are-affected-instead-show-them-that-you-are/) [Sharlene05](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharlene05/) > [I wish we could go back to the time when the private lives of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-wish-we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-the-private-lives-of-our/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Don't be intimidated by people who seem to be experts. Hear their points of view and get their judgements. But at the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/don-t-be-intimidated-by-people-who-seem-to-be-experts-hear-their/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I have wondered why is it that some people are less affected and torn by the verities of life and death that others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-wondered-why-is-it-that-some-people-are-less-affected-and-torn/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Then, the other thing that affected my interest in choices growing up was the fact that I was going blind and that meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/then-the-other-thing-that-affected-my-interest-in-choices-growing-up/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I don't think Wayne Rooney would be affected if you booed him, that's just how he is, but others go under. They really suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lampard/i-don-t-think-wayne-rooney-would-be-affected-if-you-booed-him-that-s/) [Frank Lampard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lampard/) > [I'm not good at standing on platforms and persuading people to my political point of view. Nor would I seek to. My gift is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/i-m-not-good-at-standing-on-platforms-and-persuading-people-to-my/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [I was trying to hold up a mirror to this country, to reflect the past years or so, and the varying degrees in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-was-trying-to-hold-up-a-mirror-to-this-country-to-reflect-the-past/) [Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/) > [We know COVID-19 hasn't affected communities equally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/we-know-covid-19-hasn-t-affected-communities-equally/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) [Browse all 1,050 Affected quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affected/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All political revolutions, not affected by foreign conquest, originate in moral revolutions. The subversion of established institutions is merely one consequence of the previous subversion of established opinions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Stuart Mill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-political-revolutions-not-affected-by-foreign-conquest-originate/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affected" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-political-revolutions-not-affected-by-foreign-conquest-originate/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/john-stuart-mill-477_affected_all-political-revolutions-not-affected-b_852941.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/john-stuart-mill-477_affected_all-political-revolutions-not-affected-b_852941.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/john-stuart-mill-477_affected_all-political-revolutions-not-affected-b_852941.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All political revolutions, not affected by foreign conquest, originate in moral revolutions. The subversion…” — John Stuart Mill", "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": "John Stuart Mill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All political revolutions, not affected by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-political-revolutions-not-affected-by-foreign-conquest-originate/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-political-revolutions-not-affected-by-foreign-conquest-originate/#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 } } ] } ```