--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our civilization rests on a faulty…" description: "\"“Our civilization rests on a faulty premise, that the world is physical and mechanical, energy and matter only. We do not pay for it in our bridges, we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/richard-grossinger-67295_civilization_our-civilization-rests-on-a-faulty-premi_2503601.jpg" --- # Our civilization rests on a faulty premise, that the world… ![“Our civilization rests on a faulty premise, that the world is physical and mechanical, energy and matter only. We do not pay for it in our bridges, we pay for it in the quality of our lives. "” quote by Richard Grossinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/richard-grossinger-67295_civilization_our-civilization-rests-on-a-faulty-premi_2503601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/richard-grossinger-67295_civilization_our-civilization-rests-on-a-faulty-premi_2503601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/richard-grossinger-67295_civilization_our-civilization-rests-on-a-faulty-premi_2503601.jpg) > ““Our civilization rests on a faulty premise, that the world is physical and mechanical, energy and matter only. We do not pay for it in our bridges, we pay for it in the quality of our lives. " ”” Richard Grossinger ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that civilization’s true cost is measured in life quality, not just physical infrastructure. **In simple terms:** Life quality is the real cost of civilization. Key Takeaway Prioritize human well‑being over material metrics. Themes society values quality of life economics Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - urban planning - public policy - healthcare budgeting - education funding Key Concepts human development systems thinking cost accounting Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance material and intangible investments? - What metrics capture life‑quality impacts? A Different Perspective Neglecting tangible infrastructure can undermine quality of life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ## Related quotes > [As a culture, we've all agreed with the opinion that the world should be seen in a certain way, so at 'The Nightly Show,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/as-a-culture-we-ve-all-agreed-with-the-opinion-that-the-world-should/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [Civilization rests on two things: the discovery that fermentation produces alcohol, and the voluntary ability to inhibit defecation. And I put it to you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/civilization-rests-on-two-things-the-discovery-that-fermentation/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Our whole civilization rests on the fact that men have always succeeded in beating off the attack of the re-distributors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/our-whole-civilization-rests-on-the-fact-that-men-have-always/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Civilization rests on two things," said Hitzig; "the discovery that fermentation produces alcohol, and voluntary ability to inhibit defecation. And I put it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/civilization-rests-on-two-things-said-hitzig-the-discovery-that/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Civilization rests on a set of promises; if the promises are broken too often, the civilization dies, no matter how rich it may be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert/civilization-rests-on-a-set-of-promises-if-the-promises-are-broken/) [Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert/) > [Technological civilization... rests fundamentally on power-driven machinery which transcends the physical limits of its human directors, multiplying indefinitely the capacity for the production of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-beard/technological-civilization-rests-fundamentally-on-power-driven/) [Charles A. Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-beard/) > [Practical application is found by not looking for it, and one can say that the whole progress of civilization rests on that principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-hadamard/practical-application-is-found-by-not-looking-for-it-and-one-can-say/) [Jacques Hadamard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-hadamard/) > [Civilization rests on the fact that most people do the right thing most of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/civilization-rests-on-the-fact-that-most-people-do-the-right-thing/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Fatalism is a false premise. What will be is not necessarily what must be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/fatalism-is-a-false-premise-what-will-be-is-not-necessarily-what-must/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [To be honest, the first time round, I didn't think 'Fame Academy' was the worst premise in the world. You got people on, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/to-be-honest-the-first-time-round-i-didn-t-think-fame-academy-was-the/) [Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/) > [People who want to express themselves need to be given an opportunity. For me, it's a very fundamental premise: you break the law, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-buckhorn/people-who-want-to-express-themselves-need-to-be-given-an-opportunity/) [Bob Buckhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-buckhorn/) > [I don't really write jokes down. I tend to have a premise that I work out and test on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-don-t-really-write-jokes-down-i-tend-to-have-a-premise-that-i-work/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [You know, we certainly have a great budget on the show, but the expansions to world of the show really arise because, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/you-know-we-certainly-have-a-great-budget-on-the-show-but-the/) [Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/) > [Pacifism as a mass movement aims to avoid suffering; pacifists often say that no cause is worth suffering or dying for. The ethos of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-michnik/pacifism-as-a-mass-movement-aims-to-avoid-suffering-pacifists-often/) [Adam Michnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-michnik/) > [It's always hard, but it's always fun to attack a premise that you think is interesting. It does take a few drafts for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-levin/it-s-always-hard-but-it-s-always-fun-to-attack-a-premise-that-you/) [Victor Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-levin/) ## More by Richard Grossinger > [Yellow is my favorite, but what is yellow? Handmaiden to white, it is a slight tarnish of pure light. Take away a bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grossinger/yellow-is-my-favorite-but-what-is-yellow-handmaiden-to-white-it-is-a/) Richard Grossinger > [Guess what: God created beings not to act in a morality play but to experience what is unfathomable, to elicit what can become, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grossinger/guess-what-god-created-beings-not-to-act-in-a-morality-play-but-to/) Richard Grossinger > [White is too brilliant to be seen, so yellow is its filter, its costume, revealing that pure light has not only brightness but emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grossinger/white-is-too-brilliant-to-be-seen-so-yellow-is-its-filter-its-costume/) Richard Grossinger Explore all 4 Richard Grossinger quotes ## More Civilization quotes > [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/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. 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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/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) [Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Our civilization rests on a faulty premise, that the world is physical and mechanical, energy and matter only. 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