---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In completing your civilization, the…"
description: "\"“In completing your civilization, the causes changed, but you maintained the custom: no longer did you sacrifice victims to gods athirst for human bloo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/marquis-de-sade-1964_quote_in-completing-your-civilization-the-caus_2019116.jpg"
---

#  In completing your civilization, the causes changed, but…

![“In completing your civilization, the causes changed, but you maintained the custom: no longer did you sacrifice victims to gods athirst for human blood, but to laws, which you deem sage because you found in them a specious reason to indulge your former habits, together with the semblance of a…” quote by Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/marquis-de-sade-1964_quote_in-completing-your-civilization-the-caus_2019116.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/marquis-de-sade-1964_quote_in-completing-your-civilization-the-caus_2019116.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/marquis-de-sade-1964_quote_in-completing-your-civilization-the-caus_2019116.jpg)

> ““In completing your civilization, the causes changed, but you maintained the custom: no longer did you sacrifice victims to gods athirst for human blood, but to laws, which you deem sage because you found in them a specious reason to indulge your former habits, together with the semblance of a justice which was, at bottom, nothing other than the desire to preserve those horrid practices which you could not abjure.””

[Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human societies replace overt violence with legal systems that mask the same underlying power drives and cruelty.

**In simple terms:** Laws can hide the same brutal motives as rituals.

Key Takeaway

Question the moral veneer of institutions.

Themes

power morality law civilization hypocrisy

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- political analysis
- legal reform
- ethical education

Key Concepts

social contract ethical relativism institutional critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How do laws reflect or conceal societal violence?
- Can justice exist without power imbalances?

A Different Perspective

Legal frameworks may still perpetuate oppression if unchecked.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/)

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