--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Suppose two thousand years ago, or even…" description: "\"“Suppose two thousand years ago, or even earlier, humanity learned that an alien invasion fleet would arrive a few thousand years later. What would hum..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/liu-cixin-4142_alien-invasion_suppose-two-thousand-years-ago-or-even-e_162032.jpg" --- # Suppose two thousand years ago, or even earlier, humanity… ![“Suppose two thousand years ago, or even earlier, humanity learned that an alien invasion fleet would arrive a few thousand years later. What would human civilization be like now? Professor, can you imagine it?” quote by Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/liu-cixin-4142_alien-invasion_suppose-two-thousand-years-ago-or-even-e_162032.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/liu-cixin-4142_alien-invasion_suppose-two-thousand-years-ago-or-even-e_162032.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/liu-cixin-4142_alien-invasion_suppose-two-thousand-years-ago-or-even-e_162032.jpg) > ““Suppose two thousand years ago, or even earlier, humanity learned that an alien invasion fleet would arrive a few thousand years later. What would human civilization be like now? Professor, can you imagine it?”” [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagining a civilization that anticipates a distant alien threat would prioritize long‑term planning, unity, and technological readiness. **In simple terms:** Planning for far‑future threats shapes society. Key Takeaway Invest in long‑term resilience and cooperation. Themes future planning technology unity existential risk civilization development Mood thoughtful anticipatory inquisitive Type speculative philosophical When to use this quote - space exploration - global governance - education reform - defense research - cultural narratives Key Concepts Strategic foresight collective action technological advancement Questions to Reflect On - How would you balance present needs with speculative futures? - What ethical frameworks guide preparation for unknown extraterrestrial contact? 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Progress begot more progress; countless miracles gave birth to more miracles; humankind seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/civilization-was-like-a-mad-dash-that-lasted-fie-thousand-years/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Human civilization was annihilated in three hours, before even one alien bothered to set foot on the ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-j-randolph/human-civilization-was-annihilated-in-three-hours-before-even-one/) [Chris J. Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-j-randolph/) > [More and more I come to value charity and love of one's fellow being above everything else...All our lauded technological progress-our very civilization-is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/more-and-more-i-come-to-value-charity-and-love-of-one-s-fellow-being/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Civilization, like an airplane in flight, survives only as it keeps going forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/civilization-like-an-airplane-in-flight-survives-only-as-it-keeps/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“The veneer of civilization is like that on the kitchen counter - very thin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that-on-the-kitchen-counter-very/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [“Civilization is like air or water. Wherever there is a passage, be it only a fissure, it will penetrate and modify the conditions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/civilization-is-like-air-or-water-wherever-there-is-a-passage-be-it/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [Civilization is to groups what intelligence is to individuals. It is a means of combining the intelligence of many to achieve ongoing group adaptation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/civilization-is-to-groups-what-intelligence-is-to-individuals-it-is-a-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Civilization is like a thin layer of ice upon a deep ocean of chaos and darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/civilization-is-like-a-thin-layer-of-ice-upon-a-deep-ocean-of-chaos/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [“Look at them, the bugs. 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Otherwise we're never going to have a stable climate and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hayhoe/our-carbon-emissions-have-to-eventually-go-to-zero-we-have-to/) [Katharine Hayhoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hayhoe/) > [If we don't change, if the egoic consciousness continues, I don't believe that humanity as a species can survive, or at least human civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/if-we-don-t-change-if-the-egoic-consciousness-continues-i-don-t/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Radicals, on the other hand, want to advance from the jungle of laissez-faire capitalism to a world worthy of the name of human civilization.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/radicals-on-the-other-hand-want-to-advance-from-the-jungle-of-laissez/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [Yes, I do not like people saying that atheism is based on science, because it's not. It's an alien invasion of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-woese/yes-i-do-not-like-people-saying-that-atheism-is-based-on-science/) [Carl Woese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-woese/) ## More by Liu Cixin > [“This is Galileo,” said Aristotle. “He advocates understanding the world through observation and experiment. He is an unimaginative thinker, but his results demand our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-is-galileo-said-aristotle-he-advocates-understanding-the-world/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“She could no longer feel grief. She was now like a Geiger counter that had been subjected to too much radiation, no longer capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/she-could-no-longer-feel-grief-she-was-now-like-a-geiger-counter-that/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“As he left the hospital, he wasn’t scared. The only emotion he felt was loneliness. His alienation had been building up, but had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/as-he-left-the-hospital-he-wasn-t-scared-the-only-emotion-he-felt-was/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Yes. They spread out to cover the entire solar system. We’re trapped”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/yes-they-spread-out-to-cover-the-entire-solar-system-we-re-trapped/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [I am a conventional science fiction author. But that said, once your work is published, it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/i-am-a-conventional-science-fiction-author-but-that-said-once-your/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“None of these is in line with your original ideal of using the alien civilization as a way to reform humanity. YE: I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/none-of-these-is-in-line-with-your-original-ideal-of-using-the-alien/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“This was characteristic of ultimate deterrence: The deterrer and the deteree shared the same terror of deterrence itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-was-characteristic-of-ultimate-deterrence-the-deterrer-and-the/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction was a horrible event. Dinosaurs and many other animals and plants were killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-cretaceous-paleogene-extinction-was-a-horrible-event-dinosaurs/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Make time for life, or life won’t make time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/make-time-for-life-or-life-won-t-make-time/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [The earth's crust is very thin but the planet can act as a spaceship if a force or energy powerful enough was exerted on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-earth-s-crust-is-very-thin-but-the-planet-can-act-as-a-spaceship/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Indeed, it is the nature of intelligent life to climb mountains. They all want to stand on ever higher ground to gaze ever farther…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/indeed-it-is-the-nature-of-intelligent-life-to-climb-mountains-they/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“I’ve always felt that the greatest and most beautiful stories in the history of humanity were not sung by wandering bards or written by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/i-ve-always-felt-that-the-greatest-and-most-beautiful-stories-in-the/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Are you under the impression that the object of everyone else’s love actually exists?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/are-you-under-the-impression-that-the-object-of-everyone-else-s-love/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [My own family went through its own difficulties in the Cultural Revolution, perhaps in a milder form than many other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/my-own-family-went-through-its-own-difficulties-in-the-cultural/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [In high school and college, I started to read more and write science fiction myself. I was fully engaged in writing in the 1990s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/in-high-school-and-college-i-started-to-read-more-and-write-science/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) [Explore all 106 Liu Cixin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) ## More Alien invasion quotes > [Yes, I do not like people saying that atheism is based on science, because it's not. It's an alien invasion of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-woese/yes-i-do-not-like-people-saying-that-atheism-is-based-on-science/) [Carl Woese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-woese/) > [“You have business and pleasure to attend to. As an expert in both, allow me to advise you to put them aside for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/you-have-business-and-pleasure-to-attend-to-as-an-expert-in-both/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“She burst into her hotel room pulling her blouse over her head with one hand while she yanked her shoes off with the other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/she-burst-into-her-hotel-room-pulling-her-blouse-over-her-head-with/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“Solum invoked a sensation akin to lingering déjà vu in the wake of a dream. It was not Earth. Its city-planet architectural stylings hid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/solum-invoked-a-sensation-akin-to-lingering-d-j-vu-in-the-wake-of-a/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [The planet Mars - crimson and bright, filling our telescopes with vague intimations of almost-familiar landforms - has long formed a celestial tabula rasa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grinspoon/the-planet-mars-crimson-and-bright-filling-our-telescopes-with-vague/) [David Grinspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grinspoon/) > [But fundamentally, I don't think of it as an alien-invasion movie; everybody's here, kind of, right? So, I think it's probably more of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorenzo-di-bonaventura/but-fundamentally-i-don-t-think-of-it-as-an-alien-invasion-movie/) [Lorenzo di Bonaventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorenzo-di-bonaventura/) > [“Between a monkey and a snake, the one that resists change the most is the snake. You can hardly domesticate a snake and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/between-a-monkey-and-a-snake-the-one-that-resists-change-the-most-is/) [Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/) > [My reluctance to use alien invasion is due to the feeling that we are not likely to be invaded and taken over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-d-simak/my-reluctance-to-use-alien-invasion-is-due-to-the-feeling-that-we-are/) [Clifford D. Simak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-d-simak/) > [“All unnatural control systems have a key element in their intricate composition – the fatality that they will naturally collapse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-neil-fleischer/all-unnatural-control-systems-have-a-key-element-in-their-intricate/) [Robert Neil Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-neil-fleischer/) > [“He sounds like a politician running for office.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/march-lions/he-sounds-like-a-politician-running-for-office/) [March Lions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/march-lions/) > [“I joked back in the summer of 2011 that what we really need right now is a fake threat of alien invasion that leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/i-joked-back-in-the-summer-of-2011-that-what-we-really-need-right-now/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [“Above the curving arc of the planet, a mammoth explosion plumed crimson and charcoal then erupted in a starburst of crystaline white which for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/above-the-curving-arc-of-the-planet-a-mammoth-explosion-plumed/) [G.S. 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