---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The world always had the same bankrupt…"
description: "\"The world always had the same bankrupt look, to foregoing ages as to us.\" — Ralph Waldo Emerson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_age_the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-l_1203462.png"
---

#  The world always had the same bankrupt look, to foregoing…

![“The world always had the same bankrupt look, to foregoing ages as to us.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_age_the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-l_1203462.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_age_the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-l_1203462.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_age_the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-l_1203462.png)

> “The world always had the same bankrupt look, to foregoing ages as to us.”

[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.

The world’s appearance has remained consistently bleak across ages, reflecting persistent human folly.

**In simple terms:** Human folly makes the world look bankrupt.

Key Takeaway

Recognize recurring patterns of folly.

Themes

history perception human nature critique philosophy

Mood

reflective skeptical

Type

critical philosophical

When to use this quote

- political commentary
- art criticism
- personal reflection
- education curricula

Key Concepts

Cyclical decline existential pessimism social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we repeat past mistakes?
- Can we change the “bankrupt” view?

A Different Perspective

Optimism can be dismissed as naive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“If God charged us for every tear He shed for us, the world would be bankrupt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-god-charged-us-for-every-tear-he-shed-for-us-the-world-would-be/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [“Millions of business people are each constantly forced to choose between their desire to not be a bad person and their desire to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/millions-of-business-people-are-each-constantly-forced-to-choose/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [I was spiritually bankrupt, and when that happens, it's like a spiritual cancer afflicts you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/i-was-spiritually-bankrupt-and-when-that-happens-it-s-like-a/)

[Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/)

> [“Why is this such a well-kept secret? The core issue is that we don't believe we're still spiritually "bankrupt." Having come into God's kingdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/why-is-this-such-a-well-kept-secret-the-core-issue-is-that-we-don-t/)

[Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/)

> [Let us not bankrupt our todays by paying interest on the regrets of yesterday and by borrowing in advance the troubles of tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-w-sockman-2/let-us-not-bankrupt-our-todays-by-paying-interest-on-the-regrets-of/)

Ralph W. Sockman

> [There is an old saying, "How did you go bankrupt?" And the answer is, "Gradually, and then suddenly." The impending fiscal crisis in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/there-is-an-old-saying-how-did-you-go-bankrupt-and-the-answer-is/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Every city and town in America would be bankrupt if they kept their books the way private-sector companies keep their books - because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/every-city-and-town-in-america-would-be-bankrupt-if-they-kept-their/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [ Not every company went bankrupt. Not every bank needed TARP \[Troubled Asset Relief Program\]. So I'm very proud that JPMorgan, throughout that time period,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/not-every-company-went-bankrupt-not-every-bank-needed-tarp-troubled/)

[Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/)

> [Its bad when men have money for cars, rims , shoes and etc. But when it comes to feeding their child or supporting their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kale-bell/its-bad-when-men-have-money-for-cars-rims-shoes-and-etc-but-when-it/)

[Kale Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kale-bell/)

> [I've developed a lot of reform proposals myself and been accused of trying to destroy Social Security, when the whole point was to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-demint/i-ve-developed-a-lot-of-reform-proposals-myself-and-been-accused-of/)

[Jim DeMint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-demint/)

> [I have never gone bankrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-have-never-gone-bankrupt/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The worst bankrupt in the world is the man who has lost his enthusiasm. Let a man lose everything else in the world, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-arnold/the-worst-bankrupt-in-the-world-is-the-man-who-has-lost-his/)

William Howard Arnold

> [Sarcasm is the last refuge of the imaginatively bankrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/sarcasm-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-imaginatively-bankrupt/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“The single best predictor that a family would go bankrupt was if they had a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-single-best-predictor-that-a-family-would-go-bankrupt-was-if-they/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [“Forcing new loans upon the bankrupt on condition that they shrink their income is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Greece was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/forcing-new-loans-upon-the-bankrupt-on-condition-that-they-shrink/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

[Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The world always had the same bankrupt look, to foregoing ages as to us.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-look-to-foregoing-ages-as-to-us/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-look-to-foregoing-ages-as-to-us/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_age_the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-l_1203462.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_age_the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-l_1203462.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_age_the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-l_1203462.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The world always had the same bankrupt look, to foregoing ages as to us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                "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": "Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The world always had the same...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-look-to-foregoing-ages-as-to-us/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-world-always-had-the-same-bankrupt-look-to-foregoing-ages-as-to-us/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
