--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What threatens civilization today is not…" description: "\"What threatens civilization today is not war, but the changing conception of life values entailed by certain political doctrines. Only by recapturing t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/lin-yutang-2491_certain_what-threatens-civilization-today-is-not_1787794.png" --- # What threatens civilization today is not war, but the… ![“What threatens civilization today is not war, but the changing conception of life values entailed by certain political doctrines. Only by recapturing the dream of human freedom and restoring the importance of the common man's liberties can that undermining threat to modern civilization be averted” quote by Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/lin-yutang-2491_certain_what-threatens-civilization-today-is-not_1787794.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/lin-yutang-2491_certain_what-threatens-civilization-today-is-not_1787794.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/lin-yutang-2491_certain_what-threatens-civilization-today-is-not_1787794.png) > “What threatens civilization today is not war, but the changing conception of life values entailed by certain political doctrines. Only by recapturing the dream of human freedom and restoring the importance of the common man's liberties can that undermining threat to modern civilization be averted” [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The greatest danger to society is not armed conflict but the erosion of shared moral values through restrictive ideologies; reclaiming human freedom and common liberty counters this threat. **In simple terms:** Political ideas can erode shared values more than war. Key Takeaway Protect and revive common freedoms. Themes freedom values politics civilization liberty Mood concerned reflective Type philosophical political warning When to use this quote - public policy debates - education curricula - community activism - legislative reform Key Concepts humanism political philosophy social contract Questions to Reflect On - How do current policies reflect or undermine common liberties? - What steps can individuals take to reinforce shared values? A Different Perspective Changing values can also stem from cultural evolution, not just doctrine. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Averted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-averted-1918854/) [Civilization Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-today-1918853/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-man/) [Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conception/) [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Human freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-freedom/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-value/) [Life values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-values/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-civilization/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Restoring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restoring/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [Threatens Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatens-civilization-1801556/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Undermining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undermining/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. 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