---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: …no greater glory can be handed down than…"
description: "\"“…no greater glory can be handed down than to conquer the barbarian, to recall the savage and the pagan to civility…”\" — Richard Hakluyt"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/richard-hakluyt-85683_barbarian_no-greater-glory-can-be-handed-down-than_705006.png"
---

#  …no greater glory can be handed down than to conquer the…

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> ““…no greater glory can be handed down than to conquer the barbarian, to recall the savage and the pagan to civility…””

Richard Hakluyt

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Civilizing conquered peoples is seen as the highest honor, framing conquest as a moral duty to bring order.

**In simple terms:** Conquest is glorified as a civilizing mission.

Key Takeaway

Question the moral claims of conquest.

Themes

colonialism civilization honor

Mood

critical historical

Type

analytical reflective

When to use this quote

- historical analysis
- modern policy debates
- education curricula

Key Concepts

Imperial ideology ethical justification of war

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the hidden costs of labeling conquest as noble?
- How does this view affect modern cultural relations?

A Different Perspective

Such narratives ignore the suffering and agency of the subjugated.

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[Barbarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarian/)

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> [Conan the Barbarian,' 'Star Wars,' 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Wizard of Oz' were my earliest VHS obsessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-eggers/conan-the-barbarian-star-wars-mary-poppins-and-the-wizard-of-oz-were/)

[Robert Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-eggers/)

> [The true barbarian is he who thinks everything barbarous but his own tastes and prejudices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-true-barbarian-is-he-who-thinks-everything-barbarous-but-his-own/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [How is it that in the so-called barbarian ages art was understood, whereas in our age of progress exactly the opposite is true?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/how-is-it-that-in-the-so-called-barbarian-ages-art-was-understood/)

[Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/)

> [It is better to kill the barbarian during his coming than to tell your children that there was culture, but the barbarians came and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/it-is-better-to-kill-the-barbarian-during-his-coming-than-to-tell/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [“I don't believe in virgin sacrifice. It encourages promiscuity at an early age”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrianne-ambrose/i-don-t-believe-in-virgin-sacrifice-it-encourages-promiscuity-at-an/)

Adrianne Ambrose

> [“The Barbarian hopes — and that is the mark of him, that he can have his cake and eat it too.He will consume what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/the-barbarian-hopes-and-that-is-the-mark-of-him-that-he-can-have-his/)

[Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/)

> [“The barbarian loves his own pride, and hates, or disbelieves in, the pride of others. I will be a civilized being, I will love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-blixen/the-barbarian-loves-his-own-pride-and-hates-or-disbelieves-in-the/)

[Karen Blixen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-blixen/)

> [“It wasn't too much, to take a frail figure into one's arms for those last moments of life. Better than a cot, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/it-wasn-t-too-much-to-take-a-frail-figure-into-one-s-arms-for-those/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [There are three attributes for which I am grateful to Fortune: that I was born, first, human and not animal; second, man and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thales/there-are-three-attributes-for-which-i-am-grateful-to-fortune-that-i/)

[Thales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thales/)

> [“(First Barbarian): whats the difference between a lord and a barbarian? (second Barbarian): As little as a week!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gonick/first-barbarian-whats-the-difference-between-a-lord-and-a-barbarian/)

Larry Gonick

> [If you go back to the Conan the Barbarian series, I really liked that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/if-you-go-back-to-the-conan-the-barbarian-series-i-really-liked-that/)

[Andre Braugher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-braugher/)

> [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

## More by Richard Hakluyt

> [Ships are to little purpose without skillful Sea Men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hakluyt/ships-are-to-little-purpose-without-skillful-sea-men/)

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> [No greater glory can be handed down than to conquer the barbarian, to recall the savage and the pagan to civility, to draw the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hakluyt/no-greater-glory-can-be-handed-down-than-to-conquer-the-barbarian-to-2/)

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Explore all 3 Richard Hakluyt quotes

## More Barbarian quotes

> [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

> [If you go back to the Conan the Barbarian series, I really liked that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/if-you-go-back-to-the-conan-the-barbarian-series-i-really-liked-that/)

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> [“(First Barbarian): whats the difference between a lord and a barbarian? (second Barbarian): As little as a week!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gonick/first-barbarian-whats-the-difference-between-a-lord-and-a-barbarian/)

Larry Gonick

> [There are three attributes for which I am grateful to Fortune: that I was born, first, human and not animal; second, man and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thales/there-are-three-attributes-for-which-i-am-grateful-to-fortune-that-i/)

[Thales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thales/)

> [“It wasn't too much, to take a frail figure into one's arms for those last moments of life. Better than a cot, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/it-wasn-t-too-much-to-take-a-frail-figure-into-one-s-arms-for-those/)

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> [“The barbarian loves his own pride, and hates, or disbelieves in, the pride of others. I will be a civilized being, I will love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-blixen/the-barbarian-loves-his-own-pride-and-hates-or-disbelieves-in-the/)

[Karen Blixen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-blixen/)

> [“The Barbarian hopes — and that is the mark of him, that he can have his cake and eat it too.He will consume what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/the-barbarian-hopes-and-that-is-the-mark-of-him-that-he-can-have-his/)

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> [“I don't believe in virgin sacrifice. It encourages promiscuity at an early age”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrianne-ambrose/i-don-t-believe-in-virgin-sacrifice-it-encourages-promiscuity-at-an/)

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> [It is better to kill the barbarian during his coming than to tell your children that there was culture, but the barbarians came and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/it-is-better-to-kill-the-barbarian-during-his-coming-than-to-tell/)

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> [How is it that in the so-called barbarian ages art was understood, whereas in our age of progress exactly the opposite is true?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/how-is-it-that-in-the-so-called-barbarian-ages-art-was-understood/)

[Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/)

> [The true barbarian is he who thinks everything barbarous but his own tastes and prejudices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-true-barbarian-is-he-who-thinks-everything-barbarous-but-his-own/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Conan the Barbarian,' 'Star Wars,' 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Wizard of Oz' were my earliest VHS obsessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-eggers/conan-the-barbarian-star-wars-mary-poppins-and-the-wizard-of-oz-were/)

[Robert Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-eggers/)

> [“It was as if all my life had been spent fighting, killing and running. I wanted peace but I knew it was unattainable. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-nath/it-was-as-if-all-my-life-had-been-spent-fighting-killing-and-running/)

Fredrik Nath

> [“How DARE you and the rest of your barbarians set fire to my library? Play conqueror all you want, Mighty Caesar ! Rape, murder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-buchman/how-dare-you-and-the-rest-of-your-barbarians-set-fire-to-my-library/)

sidney buchman

> [To be a great autocrat you must be a great barbarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/to-be-a-great-autocrat-you-must-be-a-great-barbarian/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

[Browse all 88 Barbarian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarian/)

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