--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One altar forever is preserved, that…" description: "\"“One altar forever is preserved, that whereon we burn incense to the supreme idol,--ourselves, our god is great, and money is his Prophet! We devastate..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/okakura-kakuzo-24162_altar_one-altar-forever-is-preserved-that-wher_2578692.jpg" --- # One altar forever is preserved, that whereon we burn… ![“One altar forever is preserved, that whereon we burn incense to the supreme idol,--ourselves, our god is great, and money is his Prophet! We devastate nature in order to make sacrifice to him; we boast that we have conquered Matter and forget that it is matter that has forever enslaved us.” quote by Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/okakura-kakuzo-24162_altar_one-altar-forever-is-preserved-that-wher_2578692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/okakura-kakuzo-24162_altar_one-altar-forever-is-preserved-that-wher_2578692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/okakura-kakuzo-24162_altar_one-altar-forever-is-preserved-that-wher_2578692.jpg) > ““One altar forever is preserved, that whereon we burn incense to the supreme idol,--ourselves, our god is great, and money is his Prophet! We devastate nature in order to make sacrifice to him; we boast that we have conquered Matter and forget that it is matter that has forever enslaved us.”” [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human self-worship turns money into a deity, leading to environmental destruction and loss of humility. **In simple terms:** Worship of money harms nature and self. Key Takeaway Beware idolizing wealth. Themes materialism environment ego spirituality Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - business - consumerism - environmental policy - personal finance Key Concepts idolatry environmental ethics philosophy human nature Questions to Reflect On - How does money influence your values? - Can we balance prosperity with stewardship? A Different Perspective The view may overlook positive economic development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Egoism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egoism/) [Egotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egotism/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) ## Related quotes > [“Sad as it is, we cannot conceal the fact that in spite of our companionship with flowers we have not risen very far above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/sad-as-it-is-we-cannot-conceal-the-fact-that-in-spite-of-our/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [Do as little harm to others as you can; make any sacrifice for your true friends; be responsible for yourself and ask nothing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/do-as-little-harm-to-others-as-you-can-make-any-sacrifice-for-your-2/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [To achieve anything great in life you must be willing to make a sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rowland/to-achieve-anything-great-in-life-you-must-be-willing-to-make-a/) [Kelly Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rowland/) > [Well, you have the right to make a sacrifice of yourself, but I'll be damned if I'll let you sacrifice me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgette-heyer/well-you-have-the-right-to-make-a-sacrifice-of-yourself-but-i-ll-be/) [Georgette Heyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgette-heyer/) > [“recognized that Christianity had taught me that sacrifice is the way of life. I forgot the neighbor who raped me, but I could see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-ann-parker/recognized-that-christianity-had-taught-me-that-sacrifice-is-the-way/) [Rebecca Ann Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-ann-parker/) > [When I'm working on a movie, I will make any sacrifice to finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-king/when-i-m-working-on-a-movie-i-will-make-any-sacrifice-to-finish-it/) [Richard King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-king/) > [Be honest about what you can get. To make a sacrifice and to get what you want you need to be very certain. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-loren/be-honest-about-what-you-can-get-to-make-a-sacrifice-and-to-get-what/) [Sophia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-loren/) > [“Think of all the males and females of the animal and plant world, all the opposites in every aspect of life. They all need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/think-of-all-the-males-and-females-of-the-animal-and-plant-world-all/) [Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/) > [“Sacrifice! What do I sacrifice? Famine fo food, expectation for content. To be privileged to put my arms round what I value -- to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/sacrifice-what-do-i-sacrifice-famine-fo-food-expectation-for-content/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“If you want to make people believe in imaginary entities such as gods and nations, you should make them sacrifice something valuable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/if-you-want-to-make-people-believe-in-imaginary-entities-such-as-gods/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Jane: Mr. Rochester, if ever I did a good deed in my life-if ever I thought a good thought-if ever I prayed a sincere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/jane-mr-rochester-if-ever-i-did-a-good-deed-in-my-life-if-ever-i/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [You have to make the sacrifice if you want to be the best in what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-van-gerwen/you-have-to-make-the-sacrifice-if-you-want-to-be-the-best-in-what-you/) [Michael van Gerwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-van-gerwen/) > [Do as little harm to others as you can; make any sacrifice for your true friends; be responsible for yourself and ask nothing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/do-as-little-harm-to-others-as-you-can-make-any-sacrifice-for-your/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [When you make the sacrifice in marriage, you're sacrificing not to each other but to unity in a relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-make-the-sacrifice-in-marriage-you-re-sacrificing-not-to/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“The problem is people don't want to make the sacrifice. They have no long term thinking. But the difficulty is, if you don't put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-newton/the-problem-is-people-don-t-want-to-make-the-sacrifice-they-have-no/) [Lisa Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-newton/) ## More by Okakura Kakuzo > [The canvas upon which the artist paints is the spectator's mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/the-canvas-upon-which-the-artist-paints-is-the-spectator-s-mind/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/teaism-is-a-cult-founded-on-the-adoration-of-the-beautiful-among-the/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/the-art-of-life-is-a-constant-readjustment-to-our-surroundings/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [In our common parlance we speak of the man "with no tea" in him, when he is insusceptible to the serio-comic interests of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/in-our-common-parlance-we-speak-of-the-man-with-no-tea-in-him-when-he/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/in-joy-or-sadness-flowers-are-our-constant-friends/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [Tea is a work of art and needs a master hand to bring out its noblest qualities. We have good and bad teas, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/tea-is-a-work-of-art-and-needs-a-master-hand-to-bring-out-its-noblest/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [“The Taoist and Zen conception of perfection... the dynamic nature of their philosophy laid more stress upon the process through which perfection was sought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/the-taoist-and-zen-conception-of-perfection-the-dynamic-nature-of/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [Friends are flowers in life's garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/friends-are-flowers-in-life-s-garden/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/those-who-cannot-feel-the-littleness-of-great-things-in-themselves/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [The outsider may indeed wonder at this seeming much ado about nothing. What a tempest in a tea-cup! he will say. But when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/the-outsider-may-indeed-wonder-at-this-seeming-much-ado-about-nothing/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [In Japan, I took part in a tea ceremony. You go into a small room, tea is served, and that's it really, except that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/in-japan-i-took-part-in-a-tea-ceremony-you-go-into-a-small-room-tea/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [A garden is a friend you can visit any time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/a-garden-is-a-friend-you-can-visit-any-time/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/tea-began-as-a-medicine-and-grew-into-a-beverage/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [Tea is more than an idealization of the form of drinking; it is a religion of the art of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/tea-is-more-than-an-idealization-of-the-form-of-drinking-it-is-a/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [Cares melt when you kneel in your garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/cares-melt-when-you-kneel-in-your-garden/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) [Explore all 24 Okakura Kakuzo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) ## More Altar quotes > [This is the sacrifice: the endless possibility that is offered up on the altar of the form...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/this-is-the-sacrifice-the-endless-possibility-that-is-offered-up-on/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [“...those others - they're looking for trends - subjects to catch a spark - but I have you - a coal from God's altar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/those-others-they-re-looking-for-trends-subjects-to-catch-a-spark-but/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [There was a time I worshipped at the altar of Rudy Martzke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-johnson-jr/there-was-a-time-i-worshipped-at-the-altar-of-rudy-martzke/) [Ernie Johnson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-johnson-jr/) > [I'm a lapsed altar boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/i-m-a-lapsed-altar-boy/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [It is when we are in misery that we revere the gods; the prosperous seldom approach the altar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silius-italicus/it-is-when-we-are-in-misery-that-we-revere-the-gods-the-prosperous/) [Silius Italicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silius-italicus/) > [We dare not trim stones to make God an altar, for if we do we ruin everything. We would spend time bringing people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/we-dare-not-trim-stones-to-make-god-an-altar-for-if-we-do-we-ruin/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/god-is-the-lord-which-hath-shewed-us-light-bind-the-sacrifice-with/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [“Sacrifice your fear on the altar of your dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-van-tuyl/sacrifice-your-fear-on-the-altar-of-your-dreams/) Barbara Van Tuyl > [“It doesn’t really matter what altar you’re being sacrificed on, it’s gonna sting either way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-roquet/it-doesn-t-really-matter-what-altar-you-re-being-sacrificed-on-it-s/) [Angela Roquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-roquet/) > [Since once again, O Lord, in the steppes of Asia, I have no bread, no wine, no altar, I will raise myself above those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/since-once-again-o-lord-in-the-steppes-of-asia-i-have-no-bread-no/) [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/) > [I was, not an altar boy, but a reader of the Epistle, and I walked in on a nun and a priest furiously French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-was-not-an-altar-boy-but-a-reader-of-the-epistle-and-i-walked-in-on/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“The quickest way to alter an altar is not with a hammer, or even religious deconstruction, but with a typo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-quickest-way-to-alter-an-altar-is-not-with-a-hammer-or-even/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Beyond the table, there is an altar, with candles lit for Billie Holiday and Willa Carter and Hypatia and Patsy Cline. Next to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-maria-machado/beyond-the-table-there-is-an-altar-with-candles-lit-for-billie/) [Carmen Maria Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-maria-machado/) > [I acknowledge that the sacrament of the altar is very God's body in form of bread, but it is in another manner God's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wycliffe/i-acknowledge-that-the-sacrament-of-the-altar-is-very-god-s-body-in/) [John Wycliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wycliffe/) > [“Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dickens-charles/oh-cold-cold-rigid-dreadful-death-set-up-thine-altar-here-and-dress/) [Dickens, Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dickens-charles/) Browse all 131 Altar quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One altar forever is preserved, that whereon we burn incense to the supreme idol,--ourselves, our god is great, and money is his Prophet! 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