--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The conquest of the earth, which mostly…" description: "\"“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/joseph-conrad-336_complexion_the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-m_2095356.jpg" --- # The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking… ![“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it much.” quote by Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/joseph-conrad-336_complexion_the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-m_2095356.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/joseph-conrad-336_complexion_the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-m_2095356.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/joseph-conrad-336_complexion_the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-m_2095356.jpg) > ““The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it much.”” [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Exploitation of peoples based on superficial differences is morally corrupt and destructive. **In simple terms:** Colonialism harms both oppressor and oppressed. Key Takeaway Recognize and reject unjust power dynamics. Themes colonialism ethics racism Mood somber reflective Type ethical historical When to use this quote - historical analysis - social justice activism - education curricula Key Concepts exploitation power imbalance human dignity Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do we have to address past injustices? - How can we prevent similar exploitation today? A Different Perspective Complex historical contexts can obscure responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-means-the-taking-it-away-from-2/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-means-the-taking-it-away-from/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force—nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/they-were-conquerors-and-for-that-you-want-only-brute-force-nothing-2/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [The conquest of the earth... is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-conquest-of-the-earth-is-not-a-pretty-thing-when-you-look-into-it/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The conquest of the earth is not a pretty thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-conquest-of-the-earth-is-not-a-pretty-thing/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force--nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/they-were-conquerors-and-for-that-you-want-only-brute-force-nothing-3/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Let's put the cards on the table. Real is real. If I was a different complexion, I think people and fans would treat me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyron-woodley/let-s-put-the-cards-on-the-table-real-is-real-if-i-was-a-different/) [Tyron Woodley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyron-woodley/) > [...I'm so over the tattoos and the T-shirts and rings through the noses. It's not pretty, it's not pleasant, it's not exciting. Please stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/i-m-so-over-the-tattoos-and-the-t-shirts-and-rings-through-the-noses/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [Because every time someone finds a new animal, or a new amazing thing on earth, it means we haven't broken everything yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-dahvana-headley/because-every-time-someone-finds-a-new-animal-or-a-new-amazing-thing/) [Maria Dahvana Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-dahvana-headley/) > [“That word means 'earth-dream'. And, depending on how you use it, it means we, the people, are dreaming the earth into being. And it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/that-word-means-earth-dream-and-depending-on-how-you-use-it-it-means/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [The decisions that you make and the actions that you take upon the earth are the means by which you evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/the-decisions-that-you-make-and-the-actions-that-you-take-upon-the/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Miss Earth, to me, means a lot more than an international beauty pageant. It implies a larger than life celebration of spirit, beauty, passion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sobhita-dhulipala/miss-earth-to-me-means-a-lot-more-than-an-international-beauty/) [Sobhita Dhulipala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sobhita-dhulipala/) > [“What’s life? A frenzied, blurry haze. What’s life? Not anything it seems. A shadow. Fiction filling reams. All we possess on earth means nil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-calder-n-de-la-barca/what-s-life-a-frenzied-blurry-haze-what-s-life-not-anything-it-seems/) [Pedro Calderón de la Barca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-calder-n-de-la-barca/) > [“Fill. The third phase of dominion is to “fill” or “replenish” the earth. Bearing fruit, refining our gift, and mastering the use of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/fill-the-third-phase-of-dominion-is-to-fill-or-replenish-the-earth/) [Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/) > [“They don't make morgues with windows. In fact, if the geography allows for it, they hardly ever make morgues above the ground. I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/they-don-t-make-morgues-with-windows-in-fact-if-the-geography-allows/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) ## More by Joseph Conrad > [“Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/hunters-for-gold-or-pursuers-of-fame-they-all-had-gone-out-on-that/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Let the earth and the sea each have its own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/let-the-earth-and-the-sea-each-have-its-own/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [He hated all this, and somehow he couldn't get away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/he-hated-all-this-and-somehow-he-couldn-t-get-away/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“A fool, what with sheer fright and fine sentiments, is always safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/a-fool-what-with-sheer-fright-and-fine-sentiments-is-always-safe/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The mind of man is capable of anything-because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future. What was there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-mind-of-man-is-capable-of-anything-because-everything-is-in-it/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Few men realize that their life, the very essence of their character, their capabilities and their audacities, are only the expression of their belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/few-men-realize-that-their-life-the-very-essence-of-their-character/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Perhaps on some quiet night the tremor of far-off drums, sinking, swelling, a tremor vast, faint; a sound weird, appealing, suggestive and wild -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/perhaps-on-some-quiet-night-the-tremor-of-far-off-drums-sinking/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“All that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/all-that-mysterious-life-of-the-wilderness-that-stirs-in-the-forest/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The fascination of the abomination—you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-fascination-of-the-abomination-you-know/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/it-s-only-those-who-do-nothing-that-make-no-mistakes-i-suppose/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Thieving was not a sheer absurdity. It was a form of human industry, perverse indeed, but still an industry exercised in an industrious world;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/thieving-was-not-a-sheer-absurdity-it-was-a-form-of-human-industry/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I found myself back in the sepulchral city resenting the sight of people hurrying through the streets to filch a little money from each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-found-myself-back-in-the-sepulchral-city-resenting-the-sight-of/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Society was calling to its accomplished child to come, to be taken care of, to be instructed, to be judged, to be condemned; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/society-was-calling-to-its-accomplished-child-to-come-to-be-taken/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I was constantly watching myself, my secret self, as dependent on my actions as my own personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-was-constantly-watching-myself-my-secret-self-as-dependent-on-my/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Explore all 645 Joseph Conrad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) ## More Complexion quotes > [White lies always introduce others of a darker complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-paley/white-lies-always-introduce-others-of-a-darker-complexion/) [William S. Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-paley/) > [Nearly all the Gauls are of a lofty stature, white, and of ruddy complexion; terrible from the sternness of their eyes, very quarrelsome, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammianus-marcellinus/nearly-all-the-gauls-are-of-a-lofty-stature-white-and-of-ruddy/) [Ammianus Marcellinus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammianus-marcellinus/) > [We often see discrimination on the basis of color and complexion in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binnu-dhillon/we-often-see-discrimination-on-the-basis-of-color-and-complexion-in/) [Binnu Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binnu-dhillon/) > [But for real, for me, I feel like with the red lipstick thing it all depends on the pair of complexion. I'm just being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asap-rocky/but-for-real-for-me-i-feel-like-with-the-red-lipstick-thing-it-all/) [ASAP Rocky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asap-rocky/) > [Courage, my boy! that is the complexion of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes-laertius/courage-my-boy-that-is-the-complexion-of-virtue/) [Diogenes Laertius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes-laertius/) > [My complexion is delicate, so I have to use things that won't irritate it. I switch moisturisers often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/my-complexion-is-delicate-so-i-have-to-use-things-that-won-t-irritate/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [“Bunny Sue was nineteen. She had honey-bobbed hair and candid, near-insolent green eyes. She had a snub, delightful nose, a cool, regal, and tapering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-exley/bunny-sue-was-nineteen-she-had-honey-bobbed-hair-and-candid-near/) [Frederick Exley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-exley/) > [Great geniuses have the shortest biographies. Their cousins can tell you nothing about them. They lived in their writings, and sotheir house and street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/great-geniuses-have-the-shortest-biographies-their-cousins-can-tell/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [running is the right thing to do! I am free, healthy with a good complexion. It is that automobile addict who should be ashamed:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/running-is-the-right-thing-to-do-i-am-free-healthy-with-a-good/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [The dragon-fly is dancing,— Is on the water glancing, She flits about with nimble wing, The flickering, fluttering, restless thing. Besotted chafers all admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-dragon-fly-is-dancing-is-on-the-water-glancing-she-flits-about/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [His name is 'Mr. Spock.' And the first view of him can be almost frightening - a face so heavy-lidded and satanic you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-roddenberry/his-name-is-mr-spock-and-the-first-view-of-him-can-be-almost/) [Gene Roddenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-roddenberry/) > [Good humor, like the jaundice, makes every one of its own complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-inchbald/good-humor-like-the-jaundice-makes-every-one-of-its-own-complexion/) [Elizabeth Inchbald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-inchbald/) > [I made the decision to turn pro, and I remember what Ali said to me: 'Get Angelo Dundee. He's the right complexion with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/i-made-the-decision-to-turn-pro-and-i-remember-what-ali-said-to-me/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [Getting the blood moving through your body does do wonders for your complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/getting-the-blood-moving-through-your-body-does-do-wonders-for-your/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-no-beautifier-of-complexion-or-form-or-behavior-like-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) Browse all 140 Complexion quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it much.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Conrad" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-means-the-taking-it-away-from-3/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complexion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-means-the-taking-it-away-from-3/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/joseph-conrad-336_complexion_the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-m_2095356.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/joseph-conrad-336_complexion_the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-m_2095356.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/joseph-conrad-336_complexion_the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-m_2095356.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion…” — Joseph Conrad", "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": "Joseph Conrad", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The conquest of the earth, which...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-means-the-taking-it-away-from-3/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-conquest-of-the-earth-which-mostly-means-the-taking-it-away-from-3/#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 } } ] } ```