--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men have looked away from themselves and…" description: "\"Men have looked away from themselves and at things so long that they have come to esteem the religious, learned and civil institutions as guards of pro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_assault_men-have-looked-away-from-themselves-and_802924.png" --- # Men have looked away from themselves and at things so long… ![“Men have looked away from themselves and at things so long that they have come to esteem the religious, learned and civil institutions as guards of property, and they deprecate assaults on these, because they feel them to be assaults on property. They measure their esteem of each other by what…” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_assault_men-have-looked-away-from-themselves-and_802924.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_assault_men-have-looked-away-from-themselves-and_802924.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_assault_men-have-looked-away-from-themselves-and_802924.png) > “Men have looked away from themselves and at things so long that they have come to esteem the religious, learned and civil institutions as guards of property, and they deprecate assaults on these, because they feel them to be assaults on property. They measure their esteem of each other by what each has, and not by what each is.” [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People value institutions as property guards, measuring worth by possessions rather than character. **In simple terms:** Society judges by what one owns, not who one is. Key Takeaway Value character over material wealth. Themes materialism social critique values Mood critical reflective Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - consumer culture - political discourse - personal relationships - education Key Concepts philosophy sociology Questions to Reflect On - What defines a person's true worth? - How can we shift focus from possessions to character? A Different Perspective May ignore positive roles institutions can play. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assault/) [Assaults Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assaults-feel-6144249/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Esteem Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem-religious-6144248/) [Feel Assaults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-assaults-2253431/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Institutions Guards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions-guards-6144250/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Looked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-looked-310615/) [Property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) ## Related quotes > [All I feel are the assaults of apprehension and terror at the thought that I am the only one who is entirely unlike the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/all-i-feel-are-the-assaults-of-apprehension-and-terror-at-the-thought-2/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“All I feel are the assaults of apprehension and terror at the thought that I am the only one who is entirely unlike the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/all-i-feel-are-the-assaults-of-apprehension-and-terror-at-the-thought/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“I never saw sad men who looked With such a wistful eye Upon that little tent of blue We prisoners called the sky, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-never-saw-sad-men-who-looked-with-such-a-wistful-eye-upon-that/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“But the day will come when you will have to answer for it! 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