--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not the last time in Western history, the…" description: "\"“Not the last time in Western history, the revolutionaries armed themselves with a new religion to steel themselves for greater outrageous.”\" — Niall F..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/niall-ferguson-3627_ethics_not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the_1024638.png" --- # Not the last time in Western history, the revolutionaries… ![“Not the last time in Western history, the revolutionaries armed themselves with a new religion to steel themselves for greater outrageous.” quote by Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/niall-ferguson-3627_ethics_not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the_1024638.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/niall-ferguson-3627_ethics_not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the_1024638.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/niall-ferguson-3627_ethics_not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the_1024638.png) > ““Not the last time in Western history, the revolutionaries armed themselves with a new religion to steel themselves for greater outrageous.”” [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Revolutionaries often adopt new ideologies to empower themselves for extreme actions. **In simple terms:** New beliefs fuel radical actions. Key Takeaway Beware of ideology as a weapon. Themes revolution ideology power radicalism Mood critical analytical Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - political upheavals - social reforms - military coups - activist campaigns Key Concepts political theory social movements psychology Questions to Reflect On - What drives people to adopt extreme beliefs? - How can societies channel passion constructively? A Different Perspective Ideology can justify harmful extremes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Revolutionaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionaries/) [Theology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“As I see it the world is undoubtedly in need of a new religion, and that religion must be founded on humanist principles. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/as-i-see-it-the-world-is-undoubtedly-in-need-of-a-new-religion-and/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [Black Velvet in that little boys smile, Black Velvet with that slow southern style. A new religion that'll bring you to your knees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alannah-myles/black-velvet-in-that-little-boys-smile-black-velvet-with-that-slow/) [Alannah Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alannah-myles/) > [The name of the new religion, said Rumfoord, is The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent. . . The two chief teachings of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-name-of-the-new-religion-said-rumfoord-is-the-church-of-god-the-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“This view was prevalent in Japan in the sixth century A.D., when Buddhism first reached that country. The Government, being in doubt as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/this-view-was-prevalent-in-japan-in-the-sixth-century-a-d-when/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Being awesome is now your new religion. Welcome to the Cult of Awesome. Its very exclusive, but there are lots of perks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-awesome-is-now-your-new-religion-welcome-to-the-cult-of-awesome/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What you get is the opening of your mind. I'm not preaching any new religion; I'm ritualizing everyday activities. You drink the water. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/what-you-get-is-the-opening-of-your-mind-i-m-not-preaching-any-new/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Art is, nowadays, our new religion and museums are our cathedrals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-zeldin/art-is-nowadays-our-new-religion-and-museums-are-our-cathedrals/) [Theodore Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-zeldin/) > [“Technology is the new religion of urban China, and no longer just in the coastal cities. Having wasted decades, centuries almost, overcoming traditional objections…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-gifford/technology-is-the-new-religion-of-urban-china-and-no-longer-just-in/) Rob Gifford > [The name of the new religion," said Rumfoord, "is The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-name-of-the-new-religion-said-rumfoord-is-the-church-of-god-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Consumerism has become a new religion, complete with its high priests at Which? and its fatwas against anyone with the temerity to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-grady/consumerism-has-become-a-new-religion-complete-with-its-high-priests/) [Sean O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-grady/) > [“What kind of thing is the religion those writings describe? The first difficulty before the enquirer is that the writings do not profess to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-hughes/what-kind-of-thing-is-the-religion-those-writings-describe-the-first/) [Philip Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-hughes/) > [“You might start a new religion yourself, with the creed: 'There is no one so clever as Hercule Poirot, Amen, D. C. Repeat ad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/you-might-start-a-new-religion-yourself-with-the-creed-there-is-no/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“The supreme value of this new religion is ‘information flow’. If life is the movement of information, and if we think that life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-supreme-value-of-this-new-religion-is-information-flow-if-life-is/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Had it been the object or the intention of Jesus Christ to establish a new religion, he would undoubtedly have written the system himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/had-it-been-the-object-or-the-intention-of-jesus-christ-to-establish/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Let us start a new religion with one commandment, "Enjoy thyself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-zangwill/let-us-start-a-new-religion-with-one-commandment-enjoy-thyself/) [Israel Zangwill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-zangwill/) ## More by Niall Ferguson > [“I wrote this book because I had formed a strong impression that the people currently living were paying insufficient attention to the dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-wrote-this-book-because-i-had-formed-a-strong-impression-that-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Consider this: the US economy created 2.4 million jobs in the three years beginning in June 2009. In the same period, 3.3 million Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/consider-this-the-us-economy-created-2-4-million-jobs-in-the-three/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think the rise of quantitative econometrics and a highly mathematical approach to risk management was the obverse of a decline in interest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-the-rise-of-quantitative-econometrics-and-a-highly/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Is it better today to be in a network, which gives you influence, than in a hierarchy, which gives you power?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/is-it-better-today-to-be-in-a-network-which-gives-you-influence-than/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [As a teacher, my strategy is to encourage questioning. I'm the least authoritarian professor you'll ever meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/as-a-teacher-my-strategy-is-to-encourage-questioning-i-m-the-least/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [Ask me not, 'Are you rightwing,' but ask me 'Are you a committed believer in individual freedom, the values of the enlightenment?' Then, yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/ask-me-not-are-you-rightwing-but-ask-me-are-you-a-committed-believer/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Many historians still tend to assume that the spread of an idea or an ideology is a function of its inherent content in relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/many-historians-still-tend-to-assume-that-the-spread-of-an-idea-or-an/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“the twentieth century ran a series of experiments, imposing quite different institutions on two sets of Germans (in West and East), two sets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-twentieth-century-ran-a-series-of-experiments-imposing-quite/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Historians are not scientists. They cannot (and should not even trying to) establish universal laws of social or political "physics" with reliable predictive powers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/historians-are-not-scientists-they-cannot-and-should-not-even-trying/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [You really struggle to be a successful empire if you are also the world's biggest debtor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/you-really-struggle-to-be-a-successful-empire-if-you-are-also-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“One difficulty is that we cannot always reconstruct the past thoughts of these non-Western peoples, for not all of them existed in civilizations with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/one-difficulty-is-that-we-cannot-always-reconstruct-the-past-thoughts/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [If young men have jobs - or the prospects of jobs - they are less likely to take up arms, they are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/if-young-men-have-jobs-or-the-prospects-of-jobs-they-are-less-likely/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think that it is important to be gregarious, and that friendships are not just a leisure pursuit, that they are an integral part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-that-it-is-important-to-be-gregarious-and-that-friendships/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“The question was simply this: Would the world be French or British?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-question-was-simply-this-would-the-world-be-french-or-british/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“it is not ‘Eurocentrism’ or (anti-)‘Orientalism’ to say that the rise of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-is-not-eurocentrism-or-anti-orientalism-to-say-that-the-rise-of/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) [Explore all 124 Niall Ferguson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## More Ethics quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) Rabelaise > [He who mistrusts most should be trusted least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theognis-of-megara/he-who-mistrusts-most-should-be-trusted-least/) [Theognis of Megara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theognis-of-megara/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [Ethics is the activity of man directed to secure the inner perfection of his own personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/ethics-is-the-activity-of-man-directed-to-secure-the-inner-perfection/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Records, radio, television, movies, magazines-all are monopolized by the money managers who are guided by one ethic, the words wealth and power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/records-radio-television-movies-magazines-all-are-monopolized-by-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ethics is not definable, is not implementable, because it is not conscious; it involves not only our thinking, but also our feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valdemar-w-setzer/ethics-is-not-definable-is-not-implementable-because-it-is-not/) Valdemar W Setzer > [Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-hayes/any-time-you-give-a-man-something-he-doesn-t-earn-you-cheapen-him-our/) [Woody Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-hayes/) [Browse all 4,548 Ethics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Not the last time in Western history, the revolutionaries armed themselves with a new religion to steel themselves for greater outrageous.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Niall Ferguson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the-revolutionaries-armed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ethics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the-revolutionaries-armed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/niall-ferguson-3627_ethics_not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the_1024638.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/niall-ferguson-3627_ethics_not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the_1024638.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/niall-ferguson-3627_ethics_not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the_1024638.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not the last time in Western history, the revolutionaries armed themselves with a new religion to steel…” — Niall Ferguson", "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": "Niall Ferguson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Not the last time in Western...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the-revolutionaries-armed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/not-the-last-time-in-western-history-the-revolutionaries-armed/#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 } } ] } ```