--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The veneer of civilization is like that…" description: "\"“The veneer of civilization is like that on the kitchen counter - very thin.”\" — Malcolm Watts" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/malcolm-watts-45525_quote_the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that_1496636.jpg" --- # The veneer of civilization is like that on the kitchen… ![“The veneer of civilization is like that on the kitchen counter - very thin.” quote by Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/malcolm-watts-45525_quote_the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that_1496636.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/malcolm-watts-45525_quote_the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that_1496636.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/malcolm-watts-45525_quote_the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that_1496636.jpg) > ““The veneer of civilization is like that on the kitchen counter - very thin.”” [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civilization’s veneer is fragile, easily broken like a thin kitchen counter coating. **In simple terms:** Society’s thin is delicate. Key Takeaway Respect and protect societal foundations. Themes societal fragility culture vulnerability Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - political discourse - community building - policy making Key Concepts philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - How can we strengthen social bonds? - What signs show civilization’s thinness? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on fragility can cause cynicism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-like-1176421/) [Kitchen Counter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitchen-counter-3688119/) [Like Kitchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-kitchen-1000064/) [Veneer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veneer/) [Veneer Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veneer-civilization-604557/) ## Related quotes > [What passes for education, culture or maturity in most minds is merely how individuals want to think of themselves, a contrived egocentric self-concept, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/what-passes-for-education-culture-or-maturity-in-most-minds-is-merely/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [“The veneer of civilization is extremely thin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-cook-m-d/the-veneer-of-civilization-is-extremely-thin/) [Charles Cook M.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-cook-m-d/) > [“the veneer of civilization is exceedingly thin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-tansek/the-veneer-of-civilization-is-exceedingly-thin/) [Karin Tansek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-tansek/) > [The destruction that barbarians leave behind has a grim fascination, doesn't it? We're reminded how thin is the veneer of civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-destruction-that-barbarians-leave-behind-has-a-grim-fascination/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“against the kitchen counter. “Oh, Sister,” I said, “you have no idea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-st-james/against-the-kitchen-counter-oh-sister-i-said-you-have-no-idea/) [Rebecca St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-st-james/) > [“His insights have come to him through a crack in the veneer of civilization, which was also a crack in his own soul. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/his-insights-have-come-to-him-through-a-crack-in-the-veneer-of/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [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/) > [“Human civilization was like a young, unworldly person walking alone across the desert of the universe, who has found out about the existence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/human-civilization-was-like-a-young-unworldly-person-walking-alone/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Civilization was like a mad dash that lasted fie thousand years. 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/) > [“Suppose two thousand years ago, or even earlier, humanity learned that an alien invasion fleet would arrive a few thousand years later. What would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/suppose-two-thousand-years-ago-or-even-earlier-humanity-learned-that/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [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/) > [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 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/) > [If we behave like the kitchen is for adults, they become more wary of it and reluctant to go in it because it feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadiya-hussain/if-we-behave-like-the-kitchen-is-for-adults-they-become-more-wary-of/) [Nadiya Hussain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadiya-hussain/) ## More by Malcolm Watts > [“As has been said, the truth will set you free - but first it will make you miserable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/as-has-been-said-the-truth-will-set-you-free-but-first-it-will-make/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [“I nominate Baal for American Idol.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/i-nominate-baal-for-american-idol/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [“What I learned in University was how little I know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/what-i-learned-in-university-was-how-little-i-know/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [“I can't wait for the human race to be over and they give out the trophies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/i-can-t-wait-for-the-human-race-to-be-over-and-they-give-out-the/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [“..and the only law, that there need be you shall not take away the free from any man though different he.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/and-the-only-law-that-there-need-be-you-shall-not-take-away-the-free/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [“Life is a journey along a highway with the bridge out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/life-is-a-journey-along-a-highway-with-the-bridge-out/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [“If you ask for something you might get something - if you ask for nothing you will get nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/if-you-ask-for-something-you-might-get-something-if-you-ask-for/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [“Life is a carnivore. Eat it before it eats you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/life-is-a-carnivore-eat-it-before-it-eats-you/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) [Explore all 9 Malcolm Watts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) ## More Veneer quotes > [Drop the veneer periodically and be like "OK, I'm an imperfect human. Let's try to get through this."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/drop-the-veneer-periodically-and-be-like-ok-i-m-an-imperfect-human/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [The scary truth is, you have to scratch some veneer off to gauge where the moral fiber really is in certain pockets of society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/the-scary-truth-is-you-have-to-scratch-some-veneer-off-to-gauge-where/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [It's the spirit within, not the veneer without, that makes a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baden-powell-de-aquino/it-s-the-spirit-within-not-the-veneer-without-that-makes-a-man/) [Baden Powell de Aquino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baden-powell-de-aquino/) > [“Some people’s elegance was only skin-deep, scrape off a little bit of the veneer and you got the real wood—common”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-e-stevenson/some-people-s-elegance-was-only-skin-deep-scrape-off-a-little-bit-of/) [D.E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-e-stevenson/) > [Since the days of Peter the Great, Russians have been maybe Europeans who didn't share in the enlightenment and the reformation, or are they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/since-the-days-of-peter-the-great-russians-have-been-maybe-europeans/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [But you know, eventually that does kind of veneer, chemical veneers that you apply, they sink in. For better or for worse, so it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/but-you-know-eventually-that-does-kind-of-veneer-chemical-veneers/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [People who think of themselves as tough-minded and realistic, among them influential political leaders and businessmen as well as go-getters and hustlers of smaller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/people-who-think-of-themselves-as-tough-minded-and-realistic-among/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [Quiet book-learning in monasteries and ethereal music, sonnets and courtly lovethat stuff is all fantasyand veneer? You couldn't afford to let the beauty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-galloway/quiet-book-learning-in-monasteries-and-ethereal-music-sonnets-and/) [Janice Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-galloway/) > [People are sad. People are broke. People are worried about money, people are worried that they're not enough and not amounting to anything and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/people-are-sad-people-are-broke-people-are-worried-about-money-people/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [...no matter how complex or affluent, human societies are nothing but subsystems of the biosphere, the Earth's thin veneer of life, which is ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/no-matter-how-complex-or-affluent-human-societies-are-nothing-but/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [I think there is this steely strength beneath this beautiful veneer that a lot of women possess. I can't fathom or understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-batt/i-think-there-is-this-steely-strength-beneath-this-beautiful-veneer/) [Bryan Batt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-batt/) > [Each of us is leading a difficult life, and when we meet people we are seeing only a tiny part of the thinnest veneer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/each-of-us-is-leading-a-difficult-life-and-when-we-meet-people-we-are/) [Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/) > [Knowing is a veneer out minds create and lay over the landscape like a painter's drop cloth set upon a forest floor. Its uniformity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-kramer/knowing-is-a-veneer-out-minds-create-and-lay-over-the-landscape-like/) [Greg Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-kramer/) > [There is no short cut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation - veneer isn't worth anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington-carver/there-is-no-short-cut-to-achievement-life-requires-thorough/) [George Washington Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington-carver/) > [Wearing a veneer of perfection never did me any good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-phair/wearing-a-veneer-of-perfection-never-did-me-any-good/) [Liz Phair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-phair/) [Browse all 86 Veneer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veneer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The veneer of civilization is like that on the kitchen counter - very thin.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Watts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that-on-the-kitchen-counter-very/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Veneer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that-on-the-kitchen-counter-very/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/malcolm-watts-45525_quote_the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that_1496636.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/malcolm-watts-45525_quote_the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that_1496636.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/malcolm-watts-45525_quote_the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that_1496636.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The veneer of civilization is like that on the kitchen counter - very thin.” — Malcolm Watts", "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": "Malcolm Watts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The veneer of civilization is like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that-on-the-kitchen-counter-very/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/the-veneer-of-civilization-is-like-that-on-the-kitchen-counter-very/#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 } } ] } ```