--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Empires always have the hubris to think…" description: "\"Empires always have the hubris to think they are indestructible, when in fact they are always unsustainable.\" — Marianne Williamson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/marianne-williamson-90_always_empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think_178057.png" --- # Empires always have the hubris to think they are… ![“Empires always have the hubris to think they are indestructible, when in fact they are always unsustainable.” quote by Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/marianne-williamson-90_always_empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think_178057.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/marianne-williamson-90_always_empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think_178057.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/marianne-williamson-90_always_empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think_178057.png) > “Empires always have the hubris to think they are indestructible, when in fact they are always unsustainable.” [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful empires ignore their fragility, leading to inevitable collapse. **In simple terms:** Empires think they are invincible but are not. Key Takeaway Recognize limits to avoid hubris. Themes history politics hubris Mood cautionary serious Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - government policy - corporate strategy - environmental planning Key Concepts sustainability impermanence Questions to Reflect On - What signs of unsustainability are ignored? - How can humility be cultivated in leadership? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind leaders to warning signs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [Hubris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hubris/) ## Related quotes > [You can't control what goes on around you, you can't. But for me, I think there's staples of these moments, that crazy moment where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/you-can-t-control-what-goes-on-around-you-you-can-t-but-for-me-i/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [It's that mindset we have where we think we are indestructible. I know at least I went through that phase, where everything was excessive!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/it-s-that-mindset-we-have-where-we-think-we-are-indestructible-i-know/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [What you learn is often determined by what you need to know. If you think you're weak, you will learn that you are strong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bingham/what-you-learn-is-often-determined-by-what-you-need-to-know-if-you/) [John Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bingham/) > [Nothing scares me, because I used to think I was indestructible. Now I know I'm indestructible, not to mention my spine is indestructible. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-priestley/nothing-scares-me-because-i-used-to-think-i-was-indestructible-now-i/) [Jason Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-priestley/) > [People are starting to wake up to the fact that a media/political party-complex basically decide our candidate, then create the illusion for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/people-are-starting-to-wake-up-to-the-fact-that-a-media-political/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [It now appears that the world is filled with people who believe that everyone should be interested in everything they have to say about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/it-now-appears-that-the-world-is-filled-with-people-who-believe-that/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [If one sins against the laws of proportion and gives something too big to something too small to carry it - too big sails…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/if-one-sins-against-the-laws-of-proportion-and-gives-something-too/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It was the hubris of each generation to think this anew, to think that their time was special, that all things would come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/it-was-the-hubris-of-each-generation-to-think-this-anew-to-think-that/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Nothing is more beautiful than to know all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athanasius-kircher/nothing-is-more-beautiful-than-to-know-all/) Athanasius Kircher > [In a lot of Western science fiction, you need some form of conflict, whether it's aliens or robots. I think in Western culture, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-breazeal/in-a-lot-of-western-science-fiction-you-need-some-form-of-conflict/) [Cynthia Breazeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-breazeal/) > [Continue to learn with humility, not hubris. Hubris is boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/continue-to-learn-with-humility-not-hubris-hubris-is-boring/) [Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/) > [“Jim Crow repeated the old strategies of the reptilian powers of the air: to convince human beings simultaneously and paradoxically that they are gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-d-moore/jim-crow-repeated-the-old-strategies-of-the-reptilian-powers-of-the/) [Russell D. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-d-moore/) > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My briefest ever definition of science fiction is 'Hubris clobbered by Nemesis.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/my-briefest-ever-definition-of-science-fiction-is-hubris-clobbered-by/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More by Marianne Williamson > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I feel that if your soul was branded by the sixties, you never lost the brand. It's like going into a nightclub and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-feel-that-if-your-soul-was-branded-by-the-sixties-you-never-lost/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we keep trying to slay them in the outer world. And we find that we cannot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/until-we-have-met-the-monsters-in-ourselves-we-keep-trying-to-slay/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [No matter how sad we might be, the universe is still planning our happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/no-matter-how-sad-we-might-be-the-universe-is-still-planning-our/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Love is who we are, and when we deviate from that love we're deviating from our ultimate, essential, eternal reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/love-is-who-we-are-and-when-we-deviate-from-that-love-we-re-deviating/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [For many, many people, getting married is one of the most important things they will ever do in the pursuit of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/for-many-many-people-getting-married-is-one-of-the-most-important/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [It is not too late. You are not too old. You are right on time-And you are better than you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/it-is-not-too-late-you-are-not-too-old-you-are-right-on-time-and-you/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I tell my mother I went to God in spite of my religious education. I feel that my religious education was inadequate, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-tell-my-mother-i-went-to-god-in-spite-of-my-religious-education-i/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [You don't have to be a spiritual seeker, you can be a businessman dealing with the revolution in computers. You could be a congressman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-spiritual-seeker-you-can-be-a-businessman/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Dear God, I surrender this thought to you, for I would see the miracle that lies behind it. Amen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/dear-god-i-surrender-this-thought-to-you-for-i-would-see-the-miracle/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Explore all 1,347 Marianne Williamson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Empires always have the hubris to think they are indestructible, when in fact they are always unsustainable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marianne Williamson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think-they-are-indestructible-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think-they-are-indestructible-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/marianne-williamson-90_always_empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think_178057.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/marianne-williamson-90_always_empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think_178057.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/marianne-williamson-90_always_empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think_178057.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Empires always have the hubris to think they are indestructible, when in fact they are always unsustainable.” — Marianne Williamson", "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": "Marianne Williamson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Empires always have the hubris to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think-they-are-indestructible-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think-they-are-indestructible-when/#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 } } ] } ```