Kipling Quote by Sarah Vowell
““quoting Kipling, "I never got over the wonder of a people who, having extirpated the aboriginals of their continent more completely than any modern race had ever done, honestly believed they were a godly little New England community, setting examples to mankind.””
About This Quote
Source Podcast: The Moth, Episode on history, 2015
Colonial powers, believing in moral superiority, paradoxically acted like the very peoples they claimed to civilize.
In simple terms: Colonial arrogance leads to hypocrisy.
Key Takeaway
Recognize historical hypocrisy.
Themes
history
colonialism
morality
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
historical
analytical
When to use this quote
- education
- public discourse
- museum c
Key Concepts
cultural hegemony
ethical paradox
Questions to Reflect On
- How does belief in superiority shape actions?
- Can we learn from past hypocrisies?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify complex history.
![“It may be that there is an afterlife and I'll look incredibly stupid, but at least I will have had a crammed pre afterlife, a crammed life, so to me the most important thing is you know as Kipling put it. [...] To fill every unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run.” quote by Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5c6/stephen-fry-573_afterlife_it-may-be-that-there-is-an-afterlife-and_756114.jpg)
![“Unappreciated because too many of his [Rudyard Kipling's] peers were socialists.” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/677/jorge-luis-borges-275_capitalism_unappreciated-because-too-many-of-his-ru_649812.jpg)
