--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man beset by anarchy, banditry, chaos and…" description: "\"“Man beset by anarchy, banditry, chaos and extinction must at last resort turn to that chamber of horrors, human enlightenment. For he has nowhere else..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/robert-ardrey-17947_anarchy_man-beset-by-anarchy-banditry-chaos-and_2972502.jpg" --- # Man beset by anarchy, banditry, chaos and extinction must… ![“Man beset by anarchy, banditry, chaos and extinction must at last resort turn to that chamber of horrors, human enlightenment. For he has nowhere else to turn.” quote by Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/robert-ardrey-17947_anarchy_man-beset-by-anarchy-banditry-chaos-and_2972502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/robert-ardrey-17947_anarchy_man-beset-by-anarchy-banditry-chaos-and_2972502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/robert-ardrey-17947_anarchy_man-beset-by-anarchy-banditry-chaos-and_2972502.jpg) > ““Man beset by anarchy, banditry, chaos and extinction must at last resort turn to that chamber of horrors, human enlightenment. For he has nowhere else to turn.”” [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human civilization turns to knowledge when chaos threatens survival. **In simple terms:** In crisis, seek enlightenment. Key Takeaway Pursue learning to navigate turmoil. Themes civilization knowledge crisis Mood thoughtful urgent Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - politics - war - environmental disaster Key Concepts human nature survival intellectual growth Questions to Reflect On - How can societies prioritize learning during emergencies? - What role does education play in preventing anarchy? A Different Perspective Knowledge alone may not solve systemic collapse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchy/) [Anarchy Banditry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchy-banditry-4583491/) [Beset Anarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beset-anarchy-4583492/) [Horrors Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrors-human-296294/) [Human Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-enlightenment-2988018/) [Last resort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-resort/) ## Related quotes > [The true horrors of human history derive not from orcs and Dark Lords, but from ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/the-true-horrors-of-human-history-derive-not-from-orcs-and-dark-lords/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [ An artist has an obligation to tell the truth. \[...\] that the true horrors of human history derive not from orcs and Dark Lords,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/an-artist-has-an-obligation-to-tell-the-truth-that-the-true-horrors/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [If there were a clear prospect that such evils were part of a barbarian past, then at least we might find a small crumb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-conway-morris/if-there-were-a-clear-prospect-that-such-evils-were-part-of-a/) [Simon Conway Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-conway-morris/) > [History shows that our way of life is the stronger way. From it has come more wealth, more industry, more happiness, more human enlightenment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-willkie/history-shows-that-our-way-of-life-is-the-stronger-way-from-it-has/) [Wendell Willkie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-willkie/) > [The progress of human enlightenment can go no further than in picturing people not as vicious, but as mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/the-progress-of-human-enlightenment-can-go-no-further-than-in/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [Christianity has held back any further advances in human consciousness for the past thousand years. And for the past century it's been in direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/christianity-has-held-back-any-further-advances-in-human/) [David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/) > [“During our brief stay on planet Earth, we owe ourselves and our descendants the opportunity to explore - in part because it's fun to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/during-our-brief-stay-on-planet-earth-we-owe-ourselves-and-our/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You have visits, then you have disappearances. You enter, then you exit. You come, you go. It would be so great if you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/you-have-visits-then-you-have-disappearances-you-enter-then-you-exit/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I believe with all my heart that our first priority must be world peace, and that use of force is always and only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-first-priority-must-be-world/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“By subsidiarity is meant the principle that responsibilities should be devolved to the lowest viable level – the individual if possible. This stems directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-o-brien/by-subsidiarity-is-meant-the-principle-that-responsibilities-should/) [Denis O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-o-brien/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [“There is a time and place for electromagnetic shielding and I regard it as a last resort due to the long term biological problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/there-is-a-time-and-place-for-electromagnetic-shielding-and-i-regard/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“I will tell you this only once. Homosexuals have been among the best warriors in our history, the berserkers of last resort. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-will-tell-you-this-only-once-homosexuals-have-been-among-the-best/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [ “See that the mind is honest, first; the rest may follow or not as God wills. \[That\] the fundamental treason to the mind ...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/see-that-the-mind-is-honest-first-the-rest-may-follow-or-not-as-god/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“Love is not coercion, and the state is only an agent of coercion. It has no other function and can work no other way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mcdurmon/love-is-not-coercion-and-the-state-is-only-an-agent-of-coercion-it/) [Joel McDurmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mcdurmon/) ## More by Robert Ardrey > [The city is a cultural invention enforcing on the citizen knowledge of his own nature. And this we do not like. That we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/the-city-is-a-cultural-invention-enforcing-on-the-citizen-knowledge/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [Do you care about freedom? Dreams may have inspired it, and wishes prompted it, but only war and weapons have made it yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/do-you-care-about-freedom-dreams-may-have-inspired-it-and-wishes/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [If you watch lizards and lions copulating, then you will see that in 200 million years the male has not had a single new idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/if-you-watch-lizards-and-lions-copulating-then-you-will-see-that-in/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [The dog barking at you from behind his master's fence acts for a motive indistinguishable from that of his master when the fence was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/the-dog-barking-at-you-from-behind-his-master-s-fence-acts-for-a/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [Not in innocence, and not in Asia, was mankind born. The home of our fathers was that African highland reaching north from the Cape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/not-in-innocence-and-not-in-asia-was-mankind-born-the-home-of-our/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [“I have lived my life in the shelter of too many northern alliances. I have made alliance with the gentle cow, the health department,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/i-have-lived-my-life-in-the-shelter-of-too-many-northern-alliances-i/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [The miracle of man is not how far he has sunk but how magnificently he has risen. We are known among the stars by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/the-miracle-of-man-is-not-how-far-he-has-sunk-but-how-magnificently/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [The hunter died when he achieved supremacy. Perhaps the death of the hunter will be the long monument to interglacial man. We denied a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/the-hunter-died-when-he-achieved-supremacy-perhaps-the-death-of-the/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [The miracle of man is not how far he has sunk but how magnificently he has risen. We are known among the stars by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/the-miracle-of-man-is-not-how-far-he-has-sunk-but-how-magnificently-2/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [Human war has been the most successful of our cultural traditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/human-war-has-been-the-most-successful-of-our-cultural-traditions/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [Natural selection deals ruthlessly with any population, bird or beaver, which fails to solve the problems of its environment with all those resources, learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/natural-selection-deals-ruthlessly-with-any-population-bird-or-beaver/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [There is nothing so moving - not even acts of love or hate - as the discovery that one is not alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/there-is-nothing-so-moving-not-even-acts-of-love-or-hate-as-the/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [Man is a fraction of the animal world. Our history is an afterthought, no more, tacked to an infinite calender. We are not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/man-is-a-fraction-of-the-animal-world-our-history-is-an-afterthought/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [Far from the truth lay the antique assumption that man had fathered the weapon. The weapon, instead, had fathered man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/far-from-the-truth-lay-the-antique-assumption-that-man-had-fathered/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [A bird does not fly because it has wings; it has wings because it flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/a-bird-does-not-fly-because-it-has-wings-it-has-wings-because-it-flies/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) [Explore all 36 Robert Ardrey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) ## More Anarchy quotes > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [So far I'm still standing on 'Sons of Anarchy' but all the rest of the people on the show have me in their crosshairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-pileggi/so-far-i-m-still-standing-on-sons-of-anarchy-but-all-the-rest-of-the/) [Mitch Pileggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-pileggi/) > [“Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science and Bad Religion in a World Without God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/anarchy-evolution-faith-science-and-bad-religion-in-a-world-without/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [Perhaps it is this theory of all work and no play that has made the Marxist such a very dull boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/perhaps-it-is-this-theory-of-all-work-and-no-play-that-has-made-the/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [In morals as in politics anarchy is not for the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-morals-as-in-politics-anarchy-is-not-for-the-weak/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [I think that if you run a big company, you've got to, four or five times a year, just say, 'Hey team, look, here's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/i-think-that-if-you-run-a-big-company-you-ve-got-to-four-or-five/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [Where you have no religion, you are sure to have no government, for as religion disappears, anarchy takes place and fixes a compleat Hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-morgan/where-you-have-no-religion-you-are-sure-to-have-no-government-for-as/) [Daniel Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-morgan/) > [What a comfort it is to feel that amid the chaos and anarchy which sweep the surface, God is holding fast the foundations on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-b-meyer/what-a-comfort-it-is-to-feel-that-amid-the-chaos-and-anarchy-which/) [F.B. Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-b-meyer/) > [“An anarchist government somehow creates an impression in the hearts of citizens that no one cares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-anarchist-government-somehow-creates-an-impression-in-the-hearts/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Would you like to do something good for the future of the human race; well, start killing some of its powerful members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/would-you-like-to-do-something-good-for-the-future-of-the-human-race/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [“twenty-three years of RFRAs to produce anarchy,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corvino/twenty-three-years-of-rfras-to-produce-anarchy/) [John Corvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corvino/) > [Freedom is that faculty that enlarges the usefulness of all other faculties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/freedom-is-that-faculty-that-enlarges-the-usefulness-of-all-other/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) [Browse all 795 Anarchy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Man beset by anarchy, banditry, chaos and extinction must at last resort turn to that chamber of horrors, human enlightenment. 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