--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But other hordes would come, and other…" description: "\"“But other hordes would come, and other false prophets. Our feeble efforts to ameliorate man’s lot would be but vaguely continued by our successors; th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/marguerite-yourcenar-2114_evil_but-other-hordes-would-come-and-other-fa_848122.png" --- # But other hordes would come, and other false prophets. Our… ![“But other hordes would come, and other false prophets. Our feeble efforts to ameliorate man’s lot would be but vaguely continued by our successors; the seeds of error and of ruin contained even in what is good would, on the contrary, increase to monstrous proportions in the course of centuries. A…” quote by Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/marguerite-yourcenar-2114_evil_but-other-hordes-would-come-and-other-fa_848122.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/marguerite-yourcenar-2114_evil_but-other-hordes-would-come-and-other-fa_848122.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/marguerite-yourcenar-2114_evil_but-other-hordes-would-come-and-other-fa_848122.png) > ““But other hordes would come, and other false prophets. Our feeble efforts to ameliorate man’s lot would be but vaguely continued by our successors; the seeds of error and of ruin contained even in what is good would, on the contrary, increase to monstrous proportions in the course of centuries. A world wearied of us would seek other masters; what had seemed to us wise would be pointless for them, what we had found beautiful they would abominate. Like the initiate to Mithraism the human race has need, perhaps, of a periodical bloodbath and descent into the grave. I could see the return of barbaric codes, of implacable gods, of unquestioned despotism of savage chieftains, a world broken up into enemy states and eternally prey to insecurity. Other sentinels menaced by arrows would patrol the walls of future cities; the stupid, cruel, and obscene game would go on, and the human species in growing older would doubtless add new refinements of horror. Our epoch, the faults and limitations of which I knew better than anyone else would perhaps be considered one day, by contrast, as one of the golden ages of man.”” [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Predicts a cyclical decline of civilization, with future societies repeating past errors and descending into chaos. **In simple terms:** Civilizations may repeat mistakes and fall into darkness. Key Takeaway Learn from history to avoid repeating failures. Themes history civilization decline Mood reflective somber Type philosophical warning When to use this quote - education reform - cultural preservation - political vigilance Key Concepts cyclical theory cultural decay philosophical pessimism Questions to Reflect On - How can societies break destructive cycles? - What role does education play in preventing decline? A Different Perspective Optimism may overlook human resilience and progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existentialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialism/) [False prophets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-prophets/) [Futility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futility/) [Growing old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) [Growing older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-older/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Hordes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hordes/) [Hordes Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hordes-come-717988/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Mithraism Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mithraism-human-717989/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World Wearied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-wearied-627020/) ## Related quotes > [The world is wearied of statesmen whom democracy has degraded into politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-world-is-wearied-of-statesmen-whom-democracy-has-degraded-into/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [“I thought if I loved you enough I could change you. I was so stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/i-thought-if-i-loved-you-enough-i-could-change-you-i-was-so-stupid/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“Did you ever think it won’t be the undead who kill us, but ordinary people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/did-you-ever-think-it-won-t-be-the-undead-who-kill-us-but-ordinary/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“I knew then I was going to die in the street without ever seeing Holly again. All because I tried to help an old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/i-knew-then-i-was-going-to-die-in-the-street-without-ever-seeing/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“‘Can’t you see what they are?’ I said. ‘They’re all dead.’”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/can-t-you-see-what-they-are-i-said-they-re-all-dead/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“Even now I can’t describe the fear that contaminated my blood like black ink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/even-now-i-can-t-describe-the-fear-that-contaminated-my-blood-like/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“When I lifted up the skin, a fat kidney worm dripping with gore raised its bald, blind head and glared at me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/when-i-lifted-up-the-skin-a-fat-kidney-worm-dripping-with-gore-raised/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“The people inside the gym didn’t stand a dead drunk’s chance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/the-people-inside-the-gym-didn-t-stand-a-dead-drunk-s-chance/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“The sound of him drinking was indescribable—like dirty runoff down a storm drain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/the-sound-of-him-drinking-was-indescribable-like-dirty-runoff-down-a/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“‘There’s no time for right or wrong,’ I said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/there-s-no-time-for-right-or-wrong-i-said/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“Drive. He’s already dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/drive-he-s-already-dead/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [It is the immigrant hordes who keep this country alive, the waves of them arriving year after year… Who believes in America more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/it-is-the-immigrant-hordes-who-keep-this-country-alive-the-waves-of/) [E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/) > [“Remember. Observe, assess and act. No hesitation. No remorse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/remember-observe-assess-and-act-no-hesitation-no-remorse/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“I don’t know how these things died without benefit of a bullet to the brain pan. They seemed to exist in an eternal twilight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/i-don-t-know-how-these-things-died-without-benefit-of-a-bullet-to-the/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [“I felt a lunatic’s laugh welling up inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/i-felt-a-lunatic-s-laugh-welling-up-inside-me/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) ## More by Marguerite Yourcenar > [“Any law too often subject to infraction is bad; it is the duty of the legislator to repeal or to change it, lest the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/any-law-too-often-subject-to-infraction-is-bad-it-is-the-duty-of-the/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [Of all our games, love's play is the only one which threatens to unsettle the soul...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/of-all-our-games-love-s-play-is-the-only-one-which-threatens-to/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [A book may lie dormant for fifty years or for two thousand years in a forgotten corner of a library, only to reveal, upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/a-book-may-lie-dormant-for-fifty-years-or-for-two-thousand-years-in-a/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [“To eat fruit is to welcome into oneself a fair living object, which is alien to us but is nourished and protected like us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/to-eat-fruit-is-to-welcome-into-oneself-a-fair-living-object-which-is/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [Everything is too far away in the past, or mysteriously too close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/everything-is-too-far-away-in-the-past-or-mysteriously-too-close/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [Writing is a perpetual choice between a thousand expressions, none of which satisfies me, none of which, above all, satisfies me without the others.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/writing-is-a-perpetual-choice-between-a-thousand-expressions-none-of/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [The landscape of my days appears to be composed, like mountainous regions, of varied materials heaped up pell-mell. There I see my nature, itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/the-landscape-of-my-days-appears-to-be-composed-like-mountainous/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [But happiness is brittle, and if men and circumstances don't destroy it, it is threatened by ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/but-happiness-is-brittle-and-if-men-and-circumstances-don-t-destroy/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [A young musician plays scales in his room and only bores his family. A beginning writer, on the other hand, sometimes has the misfortune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/a-young-musician-plays-scales-in-his-room-and-only-bores-his-family-a/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [“ A amizade é, acima de tudo, certeza - é isso o que a distingue do amor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/a-amizade-acima-de-tudo-certeza-isso-o-que-a-distingue-do-amor/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [“It is not by blood, anyhow, that man's true continuity is established: Alexander's direct heir is Caesar, and not the frail infant born of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/it-is-not-by-blood-anyhow-that-man-s-true-continuity-is-established/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [“Quel bel levriero... si distese sulla mia vita (Memorie di Adriano, Saeculum Aureum)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/quel-bel-levriero-si-distese-sulla-mia-vita-memorie-di-adriano/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [Love is a punishment. We are punished for not having been strong enough to remain alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/love-is-a-punishment-we-are-punished-for-not-having-been-strong/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [Everything turns out to be valuable that one does for one’s self without thought of profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/everything-turns-out-to-be-valuable-that-one-does-for-one-s-self/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [The world is big … May it please the One who perchance is to expand the human heart to life's full measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/the-world-is-big-may-it-please-the-one-who-perchance-is-to-expand-the/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) [Explore all 112 Marguerite Yourcenar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) ## More Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) [James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/) > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“Water is so friendly when you have it on your palms, but so evil when they have you on theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/water-is-so-friendly-when-you-have-it-on-your-palms-but-so-evil-when/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) [Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But other hordes would come, and other false prophets. Our feeble efforts to ameliorate man’s lot would be but vaguely continued by our successors; the seeds of error and of ruin contained even in what is good would, on the contrary, increase to monstrous proportions in the course of centuries. A world wearied of us would seek other masters; what had seemed to us wise would be pointless for them, what we had found beautiful they would abominate. Like the initiate to Mithraism the human race has need, perhaps, of a periodical bloodbath and descent into the grave. I could see the return of barbaric codes, of implacable gods, of unquestioned despotism of savage chieftains, a world broken up into enemy states and eternally prey to insecurity. Other sentinels menaced by arrows would patrol the walls of future cities; the stupid, cruel, and obscene game would go on, and the human species in growing older would doubtless add new refinements of horror. 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