--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in an age that cannibalises its…" description: "\"“We live in an age that cannibalises its past because it has lost faith in its future.”\" — Paul J. McAuley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/paul-j-mcauley-39086_faith_we-live-in-an-age-that-cannibalises-its_2139874.jpg" --- # We live in an age that cannibalises its past because it… ![“We live in an age that cannibalises its past because it has lost faith in its future.” quote by Paul J. McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/paul-j-mcauley-39086_faith_we-live-in-an-age-that-cannibalises-its_2139874.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/paul-j-mcauley-39086_faith_we-live-in-an-age-that-cannibalises-its_2139874.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/paul-j-mcauley-39086_faith_we-live-in-an-age-that-cannibalises-its_2139874.jpg) > ““We live in an age that cannibalises its past because it has lost faith in its future.”” [Paul J. McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-mcauley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society discards its history when it no longer believes in tomorrow, eroding cultural continuity. **In simple terms:** Losing faith in the future erodes respect for the past. Key Takeaway Preserve hope to protect heritage. Themes culture history future faith loss Mood reflective somber Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - education curricula - museum curation - public policy - community storytelling Key Concepts cultural continuity generational identity nihilism Questions to Reflect On - How can we rebuild confidence in tomorrow? - What role does collective memory play in shaping future visions? A Different Perspective If the future seems bleak, people may cling to nostalgia rather than innovate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Lost faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-faith/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I bought new strings of colored lights. This served as a profession of faith in the future. 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Armed with such a faith,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-fate-of-mankind-as-well-as-religion-depends-on-the-emergence-of-a/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Difficult and painful as it is, we must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/difficult-and-painful-as-it-is-we-must-walk-on-in-the-days-ahead-with/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“But if faith is only for the future, there will be no faith, for like manna, faith saved spoils.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-root/but-if-faith-is-only-for-the-future-there-will-be-no-faith-for-like/) [Andrew Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-root/) > [Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/faith-is-for-the-future-faith-builds-on-the-past-but-never-longs-to/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Faith is always about the Future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pfleger/faith-is-always-about-the-future/) [Michael Pfleger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pfleger/) > [I have faith in the future of this promised land of America and in its institutions of representative government, but more than that, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-b-lee/i-have-faith-in-the-future-of-this-promised-land-of-america-and-in/) [Harold B. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-b-lee/) > [We need to have faith in the future to make sense of the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/we-need-to-have-faith-in-the-future-to-make-sense-of-the-present/) [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) > [“My faith in the future of literature rests on the knowledge that there are things that only literature, with its particular capacities, can give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/my-faith-in-the-future-of-literature-rests-on-the-knowledge-that/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“We have faith that future generations will know that here, in the middle of the twentieth century, there came a time when men of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/we-have-faith-that-future-generations-will-know-that-here-in-the/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“You can make it right, just faith the future and work towards it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oladosu-feyikogbon/you-can-make-it-right-just-faith-the-future-and-work-towards-it/) [oladosu feyikogbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oladosu-feyikogbon/) > [We can have faith in the future only if we have faith in ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-can-have-faith-in-the-future-only-if-we-have-faith-in-ourselves/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“God’s past faithfulness and compassion toward us is a heritage upon which we build our faith in the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/god-s-past-faithfulness-and-compassion-toward-us-is-a-heritage-upon/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [Journalism is an act of faith in the future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-curry/journalism-is-an-act-of-faith-in-the-future/) [Ann Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-curry/) ## More by Paul J. McAuley > [“The multiverse, she said, was like an old library whose shelves were packed with books arranged by a cataloguing system that ranked them according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-mcauley/the-multiverse-she-said-was-like-an-old-library-whose-shelves-were/) [Paul J. 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McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-mcauley/) > [It’s still there, same as it ever was. But we see it differently as we get older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-mcauley/it-s-still-there-same-as-it-ever-was-but-we-see-it-differently-as-we/) [Paul J. McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-mcauley/) > [“This is an age of superstition and wishful thinking. The sky is full of evening's empires, and every one of them is founded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-mcauley/this-is-an-age-of-superstition-and-wishful-thinking-the-sky-is-full/) [Paul J. McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-mcauley/) > [“One thing that's certain about the future: it will have more history than the present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-mcauley/one-thing-that-s-certain-about-the-future-it-will-have-more-history/) [Paul J. McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-mcauley/) > [“The past doesn’t change, does it?” “It’s still there, same as it ever was. But we see it differently as we get older.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-mcauley/the-past-doesn-t-change-does-it-it-s-still-there-same-as-it-ever-was/) [Paul J. McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-mcauley/) > [“When people go looking for something, they often find something else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-mcauley/when-people-go-looking-for-something-they-often-find-something-else/) [Paul J. McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-mcauley/) > [“What is the mass of a feeling? What is its wavelength, its position on the electromagnetic spectrum?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-mcauley/what-is-the-mass-of-a-feeling-what-is-its-wavelength-its-position-on/) [Paul J. McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-mcauley/) [Explore all 11 Paul J. McAuley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-mcauley/) ## More Faith quotes > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [Keep the faith, and keep going strong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/keep-the-faith-and-keep-going-strong/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“The only limitations for your life are the limiting beliefs in your mind. —Matt Morris”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-morris-1/the-only-limitations-for-your-life-are-the-limiting-beliefs-in-your/) Matt Morris (1 > [“Just because your faith is shaken doesn’t mean the faith is shaken. The eternal truths of the Kingdom aren’t altered or affected by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/just-because-your-faith-is-shaken-doesn-t-mean-the-faith-is-shaken/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) [Browse all 37,796 Faith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We live in an age that cannibalises its past because it has lost faith in its future.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul J. 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