--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any change in customs ... takes…" description: "\"Any change in customs ... takes generations to accomplish, and must come about by general consent. Even a superficial study of sociology shows the futi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/millicent-fenwick-20534_accomplish_any-change-in-customs-takes-generations_1617960.png" --- # Any change in customs ... takes generations to accomplish… ![“Any change in customs ... takes generations to accomplish, and must come about by general consent. Even a superficial study of sociology shows the futility of past efforts to make a lasting change in manners by an act of will or authority.” quote by Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/millicent-fenwick-20534_accomplish_any-change-in-customs-takes-generations_1617960.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/millicent-fenwick-20534_accomplish_any-change-in-customs-takes-generations_1617960.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/millicent-fenwick-20534_accomplish_any-change-in-customs-takes-generations_1617960.png) > “Any change in customs ... takes generations to accomplish, and must come about by general consent. Even a superficial study of sociology shows the futility of past efforts to make a lasting change in manners by an act of will or authority.” [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Changing cultural habits takes many generations and broad public agreement, not top‑down mandates. **In simple terms:** Cultural change is slow and needs collective buy‑in. Key Takeaway Seek broad consensus for lasting change. Themes culture social change consensus generational Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - policy reform - education campaigns - community initiatives Key Concepts sociology collective will incremental progress Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders foster genuine public consent? - What mechanisms sustain cultural shifts? A Different Perspective Top‑down edicts often fail without grassroots support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Customs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customs/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Futility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futility/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Lasting change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasting-change/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Sociology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sociology/) ## Related quotes > [You only had to choose which me to talk to, for, you know, we all change our manners, depending on who has come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/you-only-had-to-choose-which-me-to-talk-to-for-you-know-we-all-change/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Find, if you can, in what you cannot change. Manners with fortunes, humours turn with climes, Tenets with books, and principles with times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/find-if-you-can-in-what-you-cannot-change-manners-with-fortunes/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [When one wants to change manners and customs, one should not do so by changing the laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-de-montesquieu/when-one-wants-to-change-manners-and-customs-one-should-not-do-so-by/) [Baron de Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-de-montesquieu/) > [There are persons whose only merit consists in saying and doing stupid things at the right time, and who ruin all if they change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/there-are-persons-whose-only-merit-consists-in-saying-and-doing/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“…sense of futility that comes from doing anything merely to prove to yourself that you can do it: having a child, climbing a mountain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/sense-of-futility-that-comes-from-doing-anything-merely-to-prove-to/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [“As we age, we are bound to find comfort from the notion that it takes generations for a way of life to fade. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/as-we-age-we-are-bound-to-find-comfort-from-the-notion-that-it-takes-2/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Building a naval power takes generations, not so much to develop the necessary technology as to pass along the accumulated experience that creates good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/building-a-naval-power-takes-generations-not-so-much-to-develop-the/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [One act of violence takes four generations to heal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/one-act-of-violence-takes-four-generations-to-heal/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Once the fabric of a just society is undone, it takes generations to weave it back together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/once-the-fabric-of-a-just-society-is-undone-it-takes-generations-to/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [To become a world-class university takes a lot of time. 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We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/as-we-age-we-are-bound-to-find-comfort-from-the-notion-that-it-takes/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) ## More by Millicent Fenwick > [When you're old, everything you do is sort of a miracle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/when-you-re-old-everything-you-do-is-sort-of-a-miracle/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [Never feel self-pity, the most destructive emotion there is. 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More than any single exploitive tyrannical force,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/you-give-bureaucrats-power-over-others-and-when-the-others-are-poor/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [You may never reach a solution, but you're never absolved from the responsibility of trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/you-may-never-reach-a-solution-but-you-re-never-absolved-from-the/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [Influence comes out of the work that you've done and the things you've stood for. Influence and power shouldn't be given to just anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/influence-comes-out-of-the-work-that-you-ve-done-and-the-things-you/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [There is hardly a facet of life that is now free of some sort of federal action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/there-is-hardly-a-facet-of-life-that-is-now-free-of-some-sort-of/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [The essence of good taste is a sense of values, and a sense of values is the pivotal point of good living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/the-essence-of-good-taste-is-a-sense-of-values-and-a-sense-of-values/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [I would like to see ... an entirely different procedure which is that we vote on the budget and decide how much we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/i-would-like-to-see-an-entirely-different-procedure-which-is-that-we/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [If there is one thing the past years have taught us, it is the importance of a keen and high sense of honor in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/if-there-is-one-thing-the-past-years-have-taught-us-it-is-the/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [When two working people decide to marry, their federal income tax is usually increased. As soon as one spouse earns at least 20 percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/when-two-working-people-decide-to-marry-their-federal-income-tax-is/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) [Explore all 30 Millicent Fenwick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) ## More Accomplish quotes > [Learn to see the big picture. Often times we get tunnel vision and lose sight of the big picture and what we're really trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cheeke/learn-to-see-the-big-picture-often-times-we-get-tunnel-vision-and/) [Robert Cheeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cheeke/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. 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