--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As the Houses tumbled upon the Streets…" description: "\"“As the Houses tumbled upon the Streets with a great roaring Noise, they cryed out We are undone! We are great Sinners! and the like: and yet as soon a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/peter-ackroyd-2223_death_as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-w_3161834.jpg" --- # As the Houses tumbled upon the Streets with a great… ![“As the Houses tumbled upon the Streets with a great roaring Noise, they cryed out We are undone! We are great Sinners! and the like: and yet as soon as the Danger was passed, they came back with their: Hey ho the Devil is Dead! Eat, drink, and go merry to Bed! Thus the Sick confesse to their…” quote by Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/peter-ackroyd-2223_death_as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-w_3161834.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/peter-ackroyd-2223_death_as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-w_3161834.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/peter-ackroyd-2223_death_as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-w_3161834.jpg) > ““As the Houses tumbled upon the Streets with a great roaring Noise, they cryed out We are undone! We are great Sinners! and the like: and yet as soon as the Danger was passed, they came back with their: Hey ho the Devil is Dead! Eat, drink, and go merry to Bed! Thus the Sick confesse to their Contagion only when they are like to Die of it, even tho' they carry their Death with them every where.”” [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He satirizes how people ignore danger until it’s over, then celebrate frivolously, ignoring underlying threats. **In simple terms:** People forget risks after they pass and act carefree. Key Takeaway Stay aware of lingering risks even after crises. Themes human nature denial celebration danger mortality Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical satirical When to use this quote - post‑crisis celebrations - public health messaging - media coverage - personal coping - community response Key Concepts cognitive bias social behavior risk perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain vigilance after a crisis? - What rituals help remember past dangers? A Different Perspective Celebration can distract from necessary caution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness/) [Sinners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinners/) ## Related quotes > [My friends, look to Christ, and not to yourselves. That is what is the matter with a great many sinners; instead of looking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/my-friends-look-to-christ-and-not-to-yourselves-that-is-what-is-the/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [“I agree that every saint has a past, but not that every sinner has a future. In this life we see a great many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/i-agree-that-every-saint-has-a-past-but-not-that-every-sinner-has-a/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [We are great sinners; Jesus is a greater Savior!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-camp/we-are-great-sinners-jesus-is-a-greater-savior/) [Steve Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-camp/) > [Great saints have often been made out of great sinners, but not one was ever made out of a wimp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of-great-sinners-but-not-one/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Give me great sinners to make great saints! They are glorious raw material for Grace to work upon and when you do get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/give-me-great-sinners-to-make-great-saints-they-are-glorious-raw/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [La de dah, de dah, la de dah, dah de, de. I come from a long line of sinners like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-church/la-de-dah-de-dah-la-de-dah-dah-de-de-i-come-from-a-long-line-of/) [Eric Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-church/) > [“Even though we'd put each other through hell, we'd found heaven. Maybe it was more than a couple of sinners like us deserved, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/even-though-we-d-put-each-other-through-hell-we-d-found-heaven-maybe/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [On the day I die, I know where I'm gonna go. Me and Jesus got that part worked out. I'll wait at the gates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-church/on-the-day-i-die-i-know-where-i-m-gonna-go-me-and-jesus-got-that-part/) [Eric Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-church/) > [One thing I have learned in institutions is not to press hard on the fact that their inmates are, like the rest of mankind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-b-harris/one-thing-i-have-learned-in-institutions-is-not-to-press-hard-on-the/) [Mary B. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-b-harris/) > [“- and even though sinners like me can only wish for heaven, my bastard ass has somehow managed to sneak through the door and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charleigh-rose/and-even-though-sinners-like-me-can-only-wish-for-heaven-my-bastard/) [Charleigh Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charleigh-rose/) > [I come from a long line of Sinners like me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-church/i-come-from-a-long-line-of-sinners-like-me/) [Eric Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-church/) > [I was fifteen when my daddy's old man. Caught me half way through my first beer. He laughed so hard when my face turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-church/i-was-fifteen-when-my-daddy-s-old-man-caught-me-half-way-through-my/) [Eric Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-church/) > [Now me and my brother go to see him some times but he don't have much to say anymore. So we sit on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-church/now-me-and-my-brother-go-to-see-him-some-times-but-he-don-t-have-much/) [Eric Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-church/) > [My mama had a soft spot for a hell raisin' boy. So she had two more just like him. It takes an Angel to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-church/my-mama-had-a-soft-spot-for-a-hell-raisin-boy-so-she-had-two-more/) [Eric Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-church/) > [“I think you want very much to make this black and white--to make us all out to be sinners or saints. But it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-sexton/i-think-you-want-very-much-to-make-this-black-and-white-to-make-us/) [Marie Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-sexton/) ## More by Peter Ackroyd > [If I did only one thing at a time I'd think I was wasting my time. If, for example, I only wrote novels I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/if-i-did-only-one-thing-at-a-time-i-d-think-i-was-wasting-my-time-if/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [I believe that the gods themselves are frightened of the world which they have fashioned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/i-believe-that-the-gods-themselves-are-frightened-of-the-world-which/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“A woman is a deep Ditch, said he, her House inclines to Death and her Paths unto the Devil”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/a-woman-is-a-deep-ditch-said-he-her-house-inclines-to-death-and-her/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [I don't know if I have a voice of my own. I don't see me being an important person with something to say. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/i-don-t-know-if-i-have-a-voice-of-my-own-i-don-t-see-me-being-an/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [The ordinary routines of life are never chronicled by the historian, but they make up almost the whole of experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/the-ordinary-routines-of-life-are-never-chronicled-by-the-historian/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“I believe now that there can be no real sense of loss or seperation without the recognition of death; we were too young to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/i-believe-now-that-there-can-be-no-real-sense-of-loss-or-seperation/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [I don't find myself interesting as a person and the details I find boring, quite frankly. You could sum it up in a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/i-don-t-find-myself-interesting-as-a-person-and-the-details-i-find/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [Rioting has always been a London tradition. It has been since the early Middle Ages. There's hardly a spate of years that goes by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/rioting-has-always-been-a-london-tradition-it-has-been-since-the/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“absinthe removes the bitter taste of failure and grants me strange visions which are charming principally because they cannot be written down. Only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/absinthe-removes-the-bitter-taste-of-failure-and-grants-me-strange/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“Those in their snug Bed-chambers may call the Fears of Night meer Bugbears, but their Minds have not pierced into the Horror of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/those-in-their-snug-bed-chambers-may-call-the-fears-of-night-meer/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [In so far as I have any beliefs, I suppose I'm like that old Peggy Lee song, 'Is That All There Is?' I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/in-so-far-as-i-have-any-beliefs-i-suppose-i-m-like-that-old-peggy-lee/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“dyer. (Looking at him scornfully) So that is why Wits swarm like Egypt's Frogs. If I were a Writer now, I would wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/dyer-looking-at-him-scornfully-so-that-is-why-wits-swarm-like-egypt-s/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [The embrace of present and past time, in which English antiquarianism becomes a form of alchemy, engenders a strange timelessness. It is as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/the-embrace-of-present-and-past-time-in-which-english-antiquarianism/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [In London, I've always lived within 10 miles of where I was born. You see, there is something called a spirit of place, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/in-london-i-ve-always-lived-within-10-miles-of-where-i-was-born-you/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [There is no humiliation worse than the consciousness of a wasted life. It stains the spirit, forestalls hope, and destroys any motive for action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/there-is-no-humiliation-worse-than-the-consciousness-of-a-wasted-life/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) [Explore all 178 Peter Ackroyd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As the Houses tumbled upon the Streets with a great roaring Noise, they cryed out We are undone! We are great Sinners! and the like: and yet as soon as the Danger was passed, they came back with their: Hey ho the Devil is Dead! Eat, drink, and go merry to Bed! Thus the Sick confesse to their Contagion only when they are like to Die of it, even tho' they carry their Death with them every where.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Ackroyd" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-with-a-great-roaring-noise/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-with-a-great-roaring-noise/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/peter-ackroyd-2223_death_as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-w_3161834.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/peter-ackroyd-2223_death_as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-w_3161834.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/peter-ackroyd-2223_death_as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-w_3161834.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As the Houses tumbled upon the Streets with a great roaring Noise, they cryed out We are undone! We are…” — Peter Ackroyd", "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": "Peter Ackroyd", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As the Houses tumbled upon the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-with-a-great-roaring-noise/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-with-a-great-roaring-noise/#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 } } ] } ```