--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No culture in history has ever embraced…" description: "\"No culture in history has ever embraced moral relativism and survived. Our own culture, therefore, will either (1) be the first, and disprove history's..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/peter-kreeft-820_culture_no-culture-in-history-has-ever-embraced_3036803.jpg" --- # No culture in history has ever embraced moral relativism… ![“No culture in history has ever embraced moral relativism and survived. Our own culture, therefore, will either (1) be the first, and disprove history's clearest lesson, or (2) persist in its relativism and die, or (3) repent of its relativism and live. There is no other option.” quote by Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/peter-kreeft-820_culture_no-culture-in-history-has-ever-embraced_3036803.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/peter-kreeft-820_culture_no-culture-in-history-has-ever-embraced_3036803.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/peter-kreeft-820_culture_no-culture-in-history-has-ever-embraced_3036803.jpg) > “No culture in history has ever embraced moral relativism and survived. Our own culture, therefore, will either (1) be the first, and disprove history's clearest lesson, or (2) persist in its relativism and die, or (3) repent of its relativism and live. There is no other option.” [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral relativism threatens cultural continuity; societies must choose absolute values or face decline. **In simple terms:** Relativism endangers culture; choose firm values. Key Takeaway Adopt clear moral standards. Themes culture morality survival history choice Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political discourse - education - community building - policy making Key Concepts ethical philosophy cultural continuity Questions to Reflect On - What values define your culture? - Can relativism be balanced with shared norms? A Different Perspective Relativism may coexist with pluralism in some societies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral relativism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-relativism/) [Persist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persist/) [Relativism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relativism/) [Relativism Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relativism-die-4986570/) [Relativism Survived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relativism-survived-4986571/) [Repent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repent/) [Repent Relativism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repent-relativism-4986569/) [Survived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survived/) ## Related quotes > [I want to give moral relativism the good spanking it deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/i-want-to-give-moral-relativism-the-good-spanking-it-deserves/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [No age has been more prone to confuse the sin with the sinner, not by hating the sinner along with the sin but by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-age-has-been-more-prone-to-confuse-the-sin-with-the-sinner-not-by/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Moral relativism has a reputation for being compassionate, caring and humane, but it is an extremely useful philosophy for tyrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/moral-relativism-has-a-reputation-for-being-compassionate-caring-and/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Moral relativism says morality is relative, not absolute, I want to show moral relativism, in its popular form, is logically incoherent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/moral-relativism-says-morality-is-relative-not-absolute-i-want-to/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [We need strong Christians who can persevere against hardship, who can sustain hope through tragedy, who can lift others by their example and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-todd-christofferson/we-need-strong-christians-who-can-persevere-against-hardship-who-can/) [D. Todd Christofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-todd-christofferson/) > [“Most moral relativists believe that tolerance of cultural diversity is better, in some important sense, than outright bigotry. This may be perfectly reasonable, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/most-moral-relativists-believe-that-tolerance-of-cultural-diversity/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [If you depart from moral absolutes, you go into a bottomless pit. Communism and Nazism were catastrophic evils which both derived from moral relativism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/if-you-depart-from-moral-absolutes-you-go-into-a-bottomless-pit/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [It is possible that the distinction between moral relativism and moral absolutism has sometimes been blurred because an excessively consistent practice of either leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/it-is-possible-that-the-distinction-between-moral-relativism-and/) [Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/) > [An e-mail from a reader says that liberals like to take the moral high ground, even though their own moral relativism means that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/an-e-mail-from-a-reader-says-that-liberals-like-to-take-the-moral/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“The choice today is revolt. Igor Stravinsky wrote, “The old original sin was one of knowledge, the new original sin is one of non-acknowledgment.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-r-reilly/the-choice-today-is-revolt-igor-stravinsky-wrote-the-old-original-sin/) [Robert R. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-r-reilly/) > [You cannot build your life with a consistent worldview that is on the shifting sands of moral relativism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/you-cannot-build-your-life-with-a-consistent-worldview-that-is-on-the/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled today as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/today-having-a-clear-faith-based-on-the-creed-of-the-church-is-often/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [“Moral relativism be damned, Riz. There's them, and there's us, and we fight and die for us and that's it.' Holly "Bang-Bang" Kirpachi”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-flowers/moral-relativism-be-damned-riz-there-s-them-and-there-s-us-and-we/) [Charlie Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-flowers/) > [“Moral relativism,” Colin said. “No it’s not. I don’t think God gives a shit if we have a dog or if a woman wears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moral-relativism-colin-said-no-it-s-not-i-don-t-think-god-gives-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Men tend to be more orthodox in belief. Their concern for the rules keeps a congregation from drifting toward mushy moral relativism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-murrow/men-tend-to-be-more-orthodox-in-belief-their-concern-for-the-rules/) [David Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-murrow/) ## More by Peter Kreeft > [“I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/i-strongly-suspect-that-if-we-saw-all-the-difference-even-the-tiniest/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [God's love is as objective as light. 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Pride is the frigidity of Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/humility-is-the-marriage-bond-of-heaven-pride-is-the-frigidity-of-hell/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“Socrates says we must be either fools because we think we are wise, or wise because we know we are fools. Christ says we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/socrates-says-we-must-be-either-fools-because-we-think-we-are-wise-or/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [No sane person wants hell to exist. No sane person wants evil to exist. But hell is just evil eternalized. If there is evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-sane-person-wants-hell-to-exist-no-sane-person-wants-evil-to-exist/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Science only answers the question, How does it work? Or at most, What's there? 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Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No culture in history has ever embraced moral relativism and survived. Our own culture, therefore, will either (1) be the first, and disprove history's clearest lesson, or (2) persist in its relativism and die, or (3) repent of its relativism and live. 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