--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am much afraid that we shall have very…" description: "\"I am much afraid that we shall have very greatly hastened the decline and ruin of the New World by our contagion, and that we willhave sold it our opin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/michel-de-montaigne-142_america_i-am-much-afraid-that-we-shall-have-very_1012259.jpg" --- # I am much afraid that we shall have very greatly hastened… ![“I am much afraid that we shall have very greatly hastened the decline and ruin of the New World by our contagion, and that we willhave sold it our opinions and our arts very dear.” quote by Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/michel-de-montaigne-142_america_i-am-much-afraid-that-we-shall-have-very_1012259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/michel-de-montaigne-142_america_i-am-much-afraid-that-we-shall-have-very_1012259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/michel-de-montaigne-142_america_i-am-much-afraid-that-we-shall-have-very_1012259.jpg) > “I am much afraid that we shall have very greatly hastened the decline and ruin of the New World by our contagion, and that we willhave sold it our opinions and our arts very dear.” [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He fears that European influence is corrupting the New World, eroding its culture and values through imposed opinions and arts. **In simple terms:** Worried that foreign ideas ruin native culture. Key Takeaway Guard cultural integrity. Themes cultural preservation colonialism identity change influence Mood concerned reflective Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - colonial encounters - cultural exchange - policy making - education reform Key Concepts cultural imperialism ethical responsibility globalization Questions to Reflect On - How can societies protect heritage while embracing beneficial ideas? - What responsibilities do colonizers have toward indigenous cultures? A Different Perspective He overlooks potential benefits of cultural exchange and adaptation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Contagion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contagion/) [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline/) [New world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-world/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The fact that I was fortunate enough to escape contagion, in spite of frequent, sometimes daily contacts with the disease, was because I soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jules-henry-nicole/the-fact-that-i-was-fortunate-enough-to-escape-contagion-in-spite-of/) [Charles Jules Henry Nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jules-henry-nicole/) > [“Drive. 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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/) > [The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/the-hungry-sheep-look-up-and-are-not-fed/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) ## More by Michel de Montaigne > [No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/no-man-is-exempt-from-saying-silly-things-the-mischief-is-to-say-them/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The laws keep up their credit, not by being just, but because they are laws; 'tis the mystic foundation of their authority; they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-laws-keep-up-their-credit-not-by-being-just-but-because-they-are/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Every one rushes elsewhere and into the future, because no one wants to face one's own inner self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/every-one-rushes-elsewhere-and-into-the-future-because-no-one-wants/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Beauty is the true prerogative of women, and so peculiarly their own, that our sex, though naturally requiring another sort of feature, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/beauty-is-the-true-prerogative-of-women-and-so-peculiarly-their-own/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The height and value of true virtue consists in the facility, utility, and pleasure of its exercise; so far from difficulty, that boys, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-height-and-value-of-true-virtue-consists-in-the-facility-utility/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Fie on the eloquence that leaves us craving itself, not things!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/fie-on-the-eloquence-that-leaves-us-craving-itself-not-things/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The plainest sign of wisdom is a continual cheerfulness: her state is like that of things in the regions above the moon, always clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-plainest-sign-of-wisdom-is-a-continual-cheerfulness-her-state-is/) [Michel De Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The corruption of the age is made up by the particular contribution of every individual man; some contribute treachery, others injustice, atheism, tyranny, avarice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-corruption-of-the-age-is-made-up-by-the-particular-contribution/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [If people must be talking about me, I would have it to be truthfully and justly. 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