---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A civilization is as great as its dreams…"
description: "\"A civilization is as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamt by artists.\" — L. Ron Hubbard"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/l-ron-hubbard-881_art_a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams_2782746.jpg"
---

#  A civilization is as great as its dreams, and its dreams…

![“A civilization is as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamt by artists.” quote by L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/l-ron-hubbard-881_art_a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams_2782746.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/l-ron-hubbard-881_art_a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams_2782746.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/l-ron-hubbard-881_art_a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams_2782746.jpg)

> “A civilization is as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamt by artists.”

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Societies thrive when their aspirations are shaped by creative visionaries.

**In simple terms:** Dreams drive civilization; artists shape them.

Key Takeaway

Support artistic expression to inspire collective ambition.

Themes

culture art dreams civilization creativity inspiration

Mood

optimistic thoughtful

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- urban planning
- education policy
- media campaigns

Key Concepts

social theory philosophy of art

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we make artistic dreams inclusive?
- What role do artists play in societal progress?

A Different Perspective

Art may not reach all; elitism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/)

## Related quotes

> [“A culture is only as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamed by artists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/a-culture-is-only-as-great-as-its-dreams-and-its-dreams-are-dreamed/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [It's good to be young and full of dreams. Dreams of one day doing something 'insanely great.' Dreams of love, beauty, achievement, and contribution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-good-to-be-young-and-full-of-dreams-dreams-of-one-day-doing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Purses are dreamt up by artists, not architects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-conrad/purses-are-dreamt-up-by-artists-not-architects/)

[Lauren Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-conrad/)

> [“The one who pays attention to the dreams, draws on them, and lives them out is blessed, even as the one who dreams is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/the-one-who-pays-attention-to-the-dreams-draws-on-them-and-lives-them/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [Dream the dreams that have never been dreamt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bower/dream-the-dreams-that-have-never-been-dreamt/)

David Bower

> [“There have been times I have thought some dreams should never be dreamt, but I would hate a world where that was true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-amory/there-have-been-times-i-have-thought-some-dreams-should-never-be/)

[Daniel Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-amory/)

> [“Even his sleep was full of dreams. He dreamt as he had not dreamt since the old days at Three Mile Cross — of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/even-his-sleep-was-full-of-dreams-he-dreamt-as-he-had-not-dreamt/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [I never in my wildest dreams dreamt of being in a position like this, of having a platform like this, where I can really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/i-never-in-my-wildest-dreams-dreamt-of-being-in-a-position-like-this/)

[Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/)

> [The great lie is that it is civilization. It's not civilized. It has been literally the most blood thirsty brutalizing system ever imposed upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-trudell/the-great-lie-is-that-it-is-civilization-it-s-not-civilized-it-has/)

[John Trudell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-trudell/)

> [Civilization, that great fraud of our times, has promised man that by complicating his existence it would multiply his pleasures. ... Civilization has promised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-eberhardt/civilization-that-great-fraud-of-our-times-has-promised-man-that-by/)

[Isabelle Eberhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-eberhardt/)

> [Technical civilization has made a great error in not suppressing death, the only human reality still intact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/technical-civilization-has-made-a-great-error-in-not-suppressing/)

[Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/)

> [If the Egyptian people can create a democracy in the heart of the Arab world, it will be a more significant contribution to civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/if-the-egyptian-people-can-create-a-democracy-in-the-heart-of-the/)

[Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/)

> [Social intercourse -- a very limited thing in a half civilized country, becomes in our centers of civilization a great power. . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blackwell/social-intercourse-a-very-limited-thing-in-a-half-civilized-country/)

Emily Blackwell

> [It must be admitted that there is a degree of instability which is inconsistent with civilization. But, on the whole, the great ages have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/it-must-be-admitted-that-there-is-a-degree-of-instability-which-is/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [“If one is searching for the cause of brutality in mankind, it would do well to remember that civilization is a great and vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dutton/if-one-is-searching-for-the-cause-of-brutality-in-mankind-it-would-do/)

[Christopher Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dutton/)

## More by L. Ron Hubbard

> [Oh yes! The one man in the world who never believes he's mad is the madman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/oh-yes-the-one-man-in-the-world-who-never-believes-he-s-mad-is-the/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [The African tribesman, with his complete contempt for truth and his emphasis on brutality and savagery for others but not for himself, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/the-african-tribesman-with-his-complete-contempt-for-truth-and-his/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [See what you see, not what someone tells you that you see](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/see-what-you-see-not-what-someone-tells-you-that-you-see/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [Now it's of peculiar interest to an Arab country that there is a company and a certain set of bankers who also finance the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/now-it-s-of-peculiar-interest-to-an-arab-country-that-there-is-a/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [In all the broad Universe there is no other hope for Man than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/in-all-the-broad-universe-there-is-no-other-hope-for-man-than/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [Now, get this as a technical fact, not a hopeful idea. Every time we have investigated the background of a critic of Scientology, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/now-get-this-as-a-technical-fact-not-a-hopeful-idea-every-time-we/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [I know no man who has any monopoly upon the wisdom of this universe. It belongs to those who can use it to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/i-know-no-man-who-has-any-monopoly-upon-the-wisdom-of-this-universe/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [One's attitude toward life makes every possible difference in one's living. You know, you don't have to study a thousand ancient books to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/one-s-attitude-toward-life-makes-every-possible-difference-in-one-s/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [“Recently there came a period when I had little to do. This was novel in a life so crammed with busy years, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/recently-there-came-a-period-when-i-had-little-to-do-this-was-novel/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [God was feeling sardonic the day He created the Universe. So it's rather up to at least one man every few centuries to pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/god-was-feeling-sardonic-the-day-he-created-the-universe-so-it-s/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [The way out is the way through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/the-way-out-is-the-way-through/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/you-don-t-get-rich-writing-science-fiction-if-you-want-to-get-rich/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [One of the ways you learn about life is to associate with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/one-of-the-ways-you-learn-about-life-is-to-associate-with-people/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [Dianetics is a milestone for man comparable to his discovery of fire and superior to his invention of the wheel and the arch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/dianetics-is-a-milestone-for-man-comparable-to-his-discovery-of-fire/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [You can remember times when you were a kid, when life looked too doggoned deliciously beautiful to be left alone. So you could feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/you-can-remember-times-when-you-were-a-kid-when-life-looked-too/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

[Explore all 342 L. Ron Hubbard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A civilization is as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamt by artists.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "L. Ron Hubbard"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams-and-its-dreams-are-dreamt-by/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams-and-its-dreams-are-dreamt-by/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/l-ron-hubbard-881_art_a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams_2782746.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/l-ron-hubbard-881_art_a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams_2782746.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/l-ron-hubbard-881_art_a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams_2782746.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A civilization is as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamt by artists.” — L. Ron Hubbard",
                "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": "L. Ron Hubbard",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A civilization is as great as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams-and-its-dreams-are-dreamt-by/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/a-civilization-is-as-great-as-its-dreams-and-its-dreams-are-dreamt-by/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
