--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Society has three stages: Savagery…" description: "\"“Society has three stages: Savagery, Ascendance, Decadence. The great rise because of Savagery. They rule in Ascendance. They fall because of their own..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/pierce-brown-1011_america_society-has-three-stages-savagery-ascend_581283.jpg" --- # Society has three stages: Savagery, Ascendance, Decadence… ![“Society has three stages: Savagery, Ascendance, Decadence. The great rise because of Savagery. They rule in Ascendance. They fall because of their own Decadence." He tells how the Persians were felled, how the Romans collapsed because their rulers forgot how their parents gained them an empire. He…” quote by Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/pierce-brown-1011_america_society-has-three-stages-savagery-ascend_581283.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/pierce-brown-1011_america_society-has-three-stages-savagery-ascend_581283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/pierce-brown-1011_america_society-has-three-stages-savagery-ascend_581283.jpg) > ““Society has three stages: Savagery, Ascendance, Decadence. The great rise because of Savagery. They rule in Ascendance. They fall because of their own Decadence." He tells how the Persians were felled, how the Romans collapsed because their rulers forgot how their parents gained them an empire. He prattles about Muslim dynasties and European effeminacy and Chinese regionalism and American self-loathing and self-neutering. All the ancient names. "Our Savagery began when our capital, Luna, rebelled against the tyranny of Earth and freed herself from the shackles of Demokracy, from the Noble Lie - the idea that men are brothers and are created equal." Augustus weaves lies of his own with that golden tongue of his. He tells of the Goldens' suffering. The Masses sat on the wagon and expected the great to pull, he reminds. They sat whipping the great until we could no longer take it. I remember a different whipping. "Men are not created equal; we all know this. There are averages. There are outliers. There are the ugly. There are the beautiful. This would not be if we were all equal. A Red can no more command a starship than a Green can serve as a doctor!" There's more laughter across the square as he tells us to look at pathetic Athens, the birthplace of the cancer they call Demokracy. Look how it fell to Sparta. The Noble Lie made Athens weak. It made their citizens turn on their best general, Alcibiades, because of jealousy. "Even the nations of Earth grew jealous of one another. The United States of America exacted this idea of equality through force. And when the nations united, the Americans were surprised to find that they were disliked! The Masses are jealous! How wonderful a dream it would be if all men were created equal! But we are not. It is against the Noble Lie that we fight. But as I said before, as I say to you now, there is another evil against which we war. It is a more pernicious evil. It is a subversive, slow evil. It is not a wildfire. It is a cancer. And that cancer is Decadence. Our society has passed from Savagery to Ascendance. But like our spiritual ancestors, the Romans, we too can fall into Decadence.”” [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societies cycle through raw power, dominance, and decay; equality is a myth that fuels conflict and oppression. **In simple terms:** Power cycles cause rise, rule, and decline; equality is illusory. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of imposed equality. Themes power society inequality history politics Mood critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political movements - revolutionary leadership - social reform - cultural critique Key Concepts Noble Lie social cycles elite decay Questions to Reflect On - What hidden motives drive claims of equality? - How can societies avoid the decay of dominance? A Different Perspective Equality can inspire both unity and division. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Decadence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decadence/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [United states of america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states-of-america/) ## Related quotes > [“Society has three stages: Savagery, Ascendance, Decadence. The great rise because of Savagery. The rule in Ascendance. 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They fall because of their own Decadence.\" He tells how the Persians were felled, how the Romans collapsed because their rulers forgot how their parents gained them an empire. He prattles about Muslim dynasties and European effeminacy and Chinese regionalism and American self-loathing and self-neutering. All the ancient names. \"Our Savagery began when our capital, Luna, rebelled against the tyranny of Earth and freed herself from the shackles of Demokracy, from the Noble Lie - the idea that men are brothers and are created equal.\" Augustus weaves lies of his own with that golden tongue of his. He tells of the Goldens' suffering. The Masses sat on the wagon and expected the great to pull, he reminds. They sat whipping the great until we could no longer take it. I remember a different whipping. \"Men are not created equal; we all know this. There are averages. There are outliers. There are the ugly. There are the beautiful. This would not be if we were all equal. A Red can no more command a starship than a Green can serve as a doctor!\" There's more laughter across the square as he tells us to look at pathetic Athens, the birthplace of the cancer they call Demokracy. Look how it fell to Sparta. The Noble Lie made Athens weak. It made their citizens turn on their best general, Alcibiades, because of jealousy. \"Even the nations of Earth grew jealous of one another. The United States of America exacted this idea of equality through force. And when the nations united, the Americans were surprised to find that they were disliked! The Masses are jealous! How wonderful a dream it would be if all men were created equal! But we are not. It is against the Noble Lie that we fight. But as I said before, as I say to you now, there is another evil against which we war. It is a more pernicious evil. It is a subversive, slow evil. It is not a wildfire. It is a cancer. And that cancer is Decadence. Our society has passed from Savagery to Ascendance. 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