--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One overriding fact dominates all of…" description: "\"“One overriding fact dominates all of modern civilization, the fact that the property of a single person can increase indefinitely, and even, by virtue..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/lis-e-reclus-46084_entire-world_one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-mod_1051408.png" --- # One overriding fact dominates all of modern civilization… ![“One overriding fact dominates all of modern civilization, the fact that the property of a single person can increase indefinitely, and even, by virtue of almost universal consent, encompass the entire world.” quote by Élisée Reclus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/lis-e-reclus-46084_entire-world_one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-mod_1051408.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/lis-e-reclus-46084_entire-world_one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-mod_1051408.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/lis-e-reclus-46084_entire-world_one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-mod_1051408.png) > ““One overriding fact dominates all of modern civilization, the fact that the property of a single person can increase indefinitely, and even, by virtue of almost universal consent, encompass the entire world.”” [Élisée Reclus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It states that the ability of an individual’s property to grow without limit, backed by widespread agreement, can eventually dominate the whole world. **In simple terms:** Unlimited personal property can shape civilization. Key Takeaway Beware unchecked property accumulation. Themes economics politics philosophy Mood critical analytical Type sociopolitical economic When to use this quote - real estate markets - intellectual property - digital assets - policy making Key Concepts property rights globalization wealth concentration Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards prevent harmful concentration? - How does collective consent affect property rights? A Different Perspective Assumes all property growth is positive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Entire world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-world/) [Fact Dominates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-dominates-2515838/) [Indefinitely Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indefinitely-virtue-2515840/) [Overriding Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overriding-fact-2515839/) [Single person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-person/) [Universal Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universal-consent-2515837/) ## Related quotes > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [“Everything was new, so I could be, too. The entire world was at my feet, and I wanted to embrace it without hesitation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaisa-winter/everything-was-new-so-i-could-be-too-the-entire-world-was-at-my-feet/) [Kaisa Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaisa-winter/) > [In fact I was fairly certain there was no one in the entire world quite like Adrian Ivashkov.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/in-fact-i-was-fairly-certain-there-was-no-one-in-the-entire-world/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I think the entire world is going to be united against us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/i-think-the-entire-world-is-going-to-be-united-against-us/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [I Can't Describe How Much I Love You, But I Can Tell You What You Mean To Me, You're My Entire World, Being With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-describe-how-much-i-love-you-but-i-can-tell-you-what-you-mean/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My mom is my best friend in the entire world. She is so cool and so inspiring. I've always been able to be open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lowndes/my-mom-is-my-best-friend-in-the-entire-world-she-is-so-cool-and-so/) [Jessica Lowndes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lowndes/) > [The fact that the entire world says something does not mean it is correct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naftali-bennett/the-fact-that-the-entire-world-says-something-does-not-mean-it-is/) [Naftali Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naftali-bennett/) > [Actors are one family over the entire world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/actors-are-one-family-over-the-entire-world/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [The entire world we apprehend through our senses is no more than a tiny fragment in the vastness of Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/the-entire-world-we-apprehend-through-our-senses-is-no-more-than-a/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [The only thing that really matters is spreading love and light and acceptance and unity throughout the entire world in any way that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willow-smith/the-only-thing-that-really-matters-is-spreading-love-and-light-and/) [Willow Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willow-smith/) > [“Entire world is trying to save humans, but why not humanity ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kusha-agrawal/entire-world-is-trying-to-save-humans-but-why-not-humanity/) [Kusha Agrawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kusha-agrawal/) > [No One in the Entire World is as Precious as You are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/no-one-in-the-entire-world-is-as-precious-as-you-are/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [The ideals and the values of the United States inspired the entire world. I don't think any of us can say that our standing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-ideals-and-the-values-of-the-united-states-inspired-the-entire/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Each person carries an entire world within himself, and everything exists twice: once the way it is, the other the way he perceives it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janusz-korczak/each-person-carries-an-entire-world-within-himself-and-everything/) [Janusz Korczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janusz-korczak/) > [We spend trillions of dollars to travel around the world, but it's in everybody's interest that we have a better framework, and not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-spend-trillions-of-dollars-to-travel-around-the-world-but-it-s-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by Élisée Reclus > [“Geography is history in place, history is geography in time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/geography-is-history-in-place-history-is-geography-in-time/) [Élisée Reclus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/) > [“A sincere person owes it to themselves to expose the frightful barbarity which still prevails in the hidden depths of a society so outwardly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/a-sincere-person-owes-it-to-themselves-to-expose-the-frightful/) [Élisée Reclus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/) > [“The power of kings and emperors has limits, but that of wealth has none at all. The dollar is the master of masters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/the-power-of-kings-and-emperors-has-limits-but-that-of-wealth-has/) [Élisée Reclus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/) > [An individual can be truly moral only when they are their own master. From the moment when they awaken to a comprehension of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/an-individual-can-be-truly-moral-only-when-they-are-their-own-master/) [Elisee Reclus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/) > [“In a word, commercial competition, under the paternal aegis of the law, allows the great majority of merchants-— and this fact is attested to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/in-a-word-commercial-competition-under-the-paternal-aegis-of-the-law/) [Élisée Reclus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/) > [“Laissez faire! Let things alone! have said the judges of the camp. Careers are open; and although the field is covered with corpses, although…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/laissez-faire-let-things-alone-have-said-the-judges-of-the-camp/) [Élisée Reclus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/) [Explore all 7 Élisée Reclus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/) ## More Entire world quotes > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Each person carries an entire world within himself, and everything exists twice: once the way it is, the other the way he perceives it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janusz-korczak/each-person-carries-an-entire-world-within-himself-and-everything/) [Janusz Korczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janusz-korczak/) > [The ideals and the values of the United States inspired the entire world. I don't think any of us can say that our standing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-ideals-and-the-values-of-the-united-states-inspired-the-entire/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [No One in the Entire World is as Precious as You are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/no-one-in-the-entire-world-is-as-precious-as-you-are/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“Entire world is trying to save humans, but why not humanity ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kusha-agrawal/entire-world-is-trying-to-save-humans-but-why-not-humanity/) [Kusha Agrawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kusha-agrawal/) > [The only thing that really matters is spreading love and light and acceptance and unity throughout the entire world in any way that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willow-smith/the-only-thing-that-really-matters-is-spreading-love-and-light-and/) [Willow Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willow-smith/) > [The entire world we apprehend through our senses is no more than a tiny fragment in the vastness of Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/the-entire-world-we-apprehend-through-our-senses-is-no-more-than-a/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [Actors are one family over the entire world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/actors-are-one-family-over-the-entire-world/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [The fact that the entire world says something does not mean it is correct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naftali-bennett/the-fact-that-the-entire-world-says-something-does-not-mean-it-is/) [Naftali Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naftali-bennett/) > [My mom is my best friend in the entire world. She is so cool and so inspiring. I've always been able to be open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lowndes/my-mom-is-my-best-friend-in-the-entire-world-she-is-so-cool-and-so/) [Jessica Lowndes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lowndes/) > [I Can't Describe How Much I Love You, But I Can Tell You What You Mean To Me, You're My Entire World, Being With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-describe-how-much-i-love-you-but-i-can-tell-you-what-you-mean/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think the entire world is going to be united against us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/i-think-the-entire-world-is-going-to-be-united-against-us/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [In fact I was fairly certain there was no one in the entire world quite like Adrian Ivashkov.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/in-fact-i-was-fairly-certain-there-was-no-one-in-the-entire-world/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“Everything was new, so I could be, too. The entire world was at my feet, and I wanted to embrace it without hesitation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaisa-winter/everything-was-new-so-i-could-be-too-the-entire-world-was-at-my-feet/) [Kaisa Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaisa-winter/) > [We spend trillions of dollars to travel around the world, but it's in everybody's interest that we have a better framework, and not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-spend-trillions-of-dollars-to-travel-around-the-world-but-it-s-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) [Browse all 171 Entire world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One overriding fact dominates all of modern civilization, the fact that the property of a single person can increase indefinitely, and even, by virtue of almost universal consent, encompass the entire world.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Élisée Reclus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-modern-civilization-the-fact/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Entire world" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-modern-civilization-the-fact/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/lis-e-reclus-46084_entire-world_one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-mod_1051408.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/lis-e-reclus-46084_entire-world_one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-mod_1051408.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/lis-e-reclus-46084_entire-world_one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-mod_1051408.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One overriding fact dominates all of modern civilization, the fact that the property of a single person can…” — Élisée Reclus", "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": "Élisée Reclus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“One overriding fact dominates all of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-modern-civilization-the-fact/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/one-overriding-fact-dominates-all-of-modern-civilization-the-fact/#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 } } ] } ```