--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was much in such a society that was…" description: "\"There was much in such a society that was primitive and insecure and it certainly could never measure up to the demands of the present epoch. But in su..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/nelson-mandela-248_demand_there-was-much-in-such-a-society-that-wa_1005733.jpg" --- # There was much in such a society that was primitive and… ![“There was much in such a society that was primitive and insecure and it certainly could never measure up to the demands of the present epoch. But in such a society are contained the seeds of revolutionary democracy in which none will be held in slavery.” quote by Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/nelson-mandela-248_demand_there-was-much-in-such-a-society-that-wa_1005733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/nelson-mandela-248_demand_there-was-much-in-such-a-society-that-wa_1005733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/nelson-mandela-248_demand_there-was-much-in-such-a-society-that-wa_1005733.jpg) > “There was much in such a society that was primitive and insecure and it certainly could never measure up to the demands of the present epoch. But in such a society are contained the seeds of revolutionary democracy in which none will be held in slavery.” [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Old societies may seem backward, but they hold the potential for democratic revolution and freedom. **In simple terms:** Even primitive societies can seed democracy and freedom. Key Takeaway Nurture democratic values. Themes politics history freedom Mood hopeful determined Type political inspirational When to use this quote - education reform - community organizing - policy making Key Concepts revolutionary potential social evolution Questions to Reflect On - What steps can accelerate democratic growth? - How to protect emerging freedoms? A Different Perspective Change is slow and faces resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Epoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epoch/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Revolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) ## Related quotes > [No human society is too primitive to have some kind of literature. The only thing is that primitive literature hasn't yet become distinguished from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/no-human-society-is-too-primitive-to-have-some-kind-of-literature-the/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [Human beings are not property. 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Political assassination is not something I or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/although-verwoerd-thought-africans-were-lower-than-animals-his-death/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Continuously, we have to fight to defeat the primitive tendency towards the glorification of arms, the adulation of force, born of the illusion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/continuously-we-have-to-fight-to-defeat-the-primitive-tendency/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I'm a joker who has understood his epoch and has extracted all he possibly could from the stupidity, greed and vanity of his contemporaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-m-a-joker-who-has-understood-his-epoch-and-has-extracted-all-he/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [The civilization of one epoch becomes the manure of the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/the-civilization-of-one-epoch-becomes-the-manure-of-the-next/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [Amongst the many definitions, there is one that may be generally agreed upon: modernity is the epoch in which simply being modern became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianni-vattimo/amongst-the-many-definitions-there-is-one-that-may-be-generally/) [Gianni Vattimo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianni-vattimo/) > [Here and there, in some older houses, old faded daguerreotypes still hang on the walls... 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I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Some of the mission groups that have been responsible for our education have not been part of the government. In fact, they acted contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/some-of-the-mission-groups-that-have-been-responsible-for-our/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“I believed that I would become a counsellor to the Thembu king,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-believed-that-i-would-become-a-counsellor-to-the-thembu-king/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [What he means by this is that instead of saying you'll "try", you need to "do". And as we let our light shine, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/what-he-means-by-this-is-that-instead-of-saying-you-ll-try-you-need/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-learned-that-courage-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-the-triumph/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-need-to-exert-ourselves-that-much-more-and-break-out-of-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Prison is a still point in a turning world, and it is very easy to remain in the same place in jail while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/prison-is-a-still-point-in-a-turning-world-and-it-is-very-easy-to/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/a-fundamental-concern-for-others-in-our-individual-and-community/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I am aware of what the position is in the United States of America. If somebody gives to charity, then he gets a tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-am-aware-of-what-the-position-is-in-the-united-states-of-america-if/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It is our duty to give support to the brother leader ... especially in regards to the sanctions which are not hitting just him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-our-duty-to-give-support-to-the-brother-leader-especially-in/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of our own people became a hunger for the freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-was-during-those-long-and-lonely-years-that-my-hunger-for-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) [Explore all 809 Nelson Mandela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More Demand quotes > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. 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