---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like us, those vanished warriors planted…"
description: "\"“Like us, those vanished warriors planted their standards in the sands of their own self-summoned extinction.”\" — Steven Pressfield"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/steven-pressfield-696_political-philosophy_like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted_1071623.jpg"
---

#  Like us, those vanished warriors planted their standards…

![“Like us, those vanished warriors planted their standards in the sands of their own self-summoned extinction.” quote by Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/steven-pressfield-696_political-philosophy_like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted_1071623.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/steven-pressfield-696_political-philosophy_like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted_1071623.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/steven-pressfield-696_political-philosophy_like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted_1071623.jpg)

> ““Like us, those vanished warriors planted their standards in the sands of their own self-summoned extinction.””

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

## About This Quote

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

Warriors self‑destruct by imposing their own standards, leading to extinction.

**In simple terms:** Self‑imposed standards can cause self‑destruction.

Key Takeaway

Beware of rigid self‑expectations.

Themes

self‑destruction warrior mindset extinction

Mood

critical reflective

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- military history
- personal ambition
- creative projects

Key Concepts

ego identity legacy

Questions to Reflect On

- What standards have you set that limit you?
- How can you redefine standards to empower?

A Different Perspective

Some standards inspire growth rather than ruin.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinction/) [Political philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-philosophy/) [Sands Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sands-self-616311/) [Social-commentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-commentary/) [Summoned Extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summoned-extinction-2673516/) [Vanished Warriors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanished-warriors-2673515/) [Warriors Planted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warriors-planted-2673517/)

## Related quotes

> [“Many who have escaped the rocks of gross sin have been cast away on the sands of self-righteousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-m-toplady/many-who-have-escaped-the-rocks-of-gross-sin-have-been-cast-away-on/)

[Augustus M. Toplady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-m-toplady/)

> [“..."You're getting a sort of vaccination this year. If you don't know it now, you'll find it out some day. But it's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-sawyer/you-re-getting-a-sort-of-vaccination-this-year-if-you-don-t-know-it/)

[Ruth Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-sawyer/)

> [“You see man we are just fucking extras!! Extras in a capitalist blockbuster!~page 75”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winshluss/you-see-man-we-are-just-fucking-extras-extras-in-a-capitalist/)

[Winshluss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winshluss/)

> [“Goodreads sports some of the social awkwardness of middle school. If you are looking for a friend, I promise no matter your background or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-phoenix/goodreads-sports-some-of-the-social-awkwardness-of-middle-school-if/)

[Red Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-phoenix/)

> [“Social proof is a flame to the human mind moth, and it leaves a fire trail of destruction across the path of enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-jelbert/social-proof-is-a-flame-to-the-human-mind-moth-and-it-leaves-a-fire/)

[Will Jelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-jelbert/)

> [“One problem with the division of labor in our complex economy is how it obscures the lines of connection, and therefore of responsibility, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/one-problem-with-the-division-of-labor-in-our-complex-economy-is-how/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“What a luxury to turn your back on luxury.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/what-a-luxury-to-turn-your-back-on-luxury/)

[Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/)

> [I know the police cause you trouble They cause trouble everywhere But when you die and go to heaven You find no policeman there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-guthrie/i-know-the-police-cause-you-trouble-they-cause-trouble-everywhere-but/)

[Woody Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-guthrie/)

> [“Remember it is not you who supports the root, but the root that supports you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apostle-paul-letter-to-the-romans/remember-it-is-not-you-who-supports-the-root-but-the-root-that/)

[Apostle Paul -- Letter to the Romans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apostle-paul-letter-to-the-romans/)

> [“Last summer, in London at least, the hoodie was transformed from a benign piece of leisurewear into a uniform for the disaffected, the angry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-capell/last-summer-in-london-at-least-the-hoodie-was-transformed-from-a/)

[Mark Capell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-capell/)

> [“We live in an era where everyone is terrified of being caught trying. So, the defense mechanism is to pretend you never gave a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lokesh-tuli/we-live-in-an-era-where-everyone-is-terrified-of-being-caught-trying/)

[Lokesh Tuli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lokesh-tuli/)

> [“These things happen. And we say to ourselves, “Never again.” And a hundred years pass. And they happen. Again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/qntm/these-things-happen-and-we-say-to-ourselves-never-again-and-a-hundred/)

[Qntm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/qntm/)

> [“Events cast their shadows ahead; before a harsh winter, wild animals grow thicker fur, and the beaver puts on a thicker layer of fat.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/events-cast-their-shadows-ahead-before-a-harsh-winter-wild-animals/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [“The past is dangerous, not least because it cannot go away. It is simply there , never to change, and in its constancy it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-esolen/the-past-is-dangerous-not-least-because-it-cannot-go-away-it-is/)

[Anthony Esolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-esolen/)

> [“Sometimes I think that's the trouble with the world: too many people in high places who are stone-cold dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/sometimes-i-think-that-s-the-trouble-with-the-world-too-many-people/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

## More by Steven Pressfield

> [Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/most-of-us-have-two-lives-the-life-we-live-and-the-unlived-life/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“The artist and the fundamentalist both confront the same issue, the mystery of their existence as individuals. Each asks the same questions: Who am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-artist-and-the-fundamentalist-both-confront-the-same-issue-the/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [The professional arms himself with patience, not only to give the stars time to align in his career, but to keep himself from flaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-professional-arms-himself-with-patience-not-only-to-give-the/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [The Kabbalah describes angels as bundles of light, meaning intelligence, consciousness. Kabbalists believe that above every blade of grass is an angel crying "Grow!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-kabbalah-describes-angels-as-bundles-of-light-meaning/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [To labor in the arts for any reason other than love is prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/to-labor-in-the-arts-for-any-reason-other-than-love-is-prostitution/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“that of dealing death, of loosing another man’s soul and sending it down to hell. You want to savor it, to twist the blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/that-of-dealing-death-of-loosing-another-man-s-soul-and-sending-it/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/resistance-is-experienced-as-fear-the-degree-of-fear-equates-to-the/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us... Ideas come. Insights accrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/when-we-sit-down-each-day-and-do-our-work-power-concentrates-around/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [Anything that draws attention to ourselves through pain-free or artificial means is a manifestation of Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/anything-that-draws-attention-to-ourselves-through-pain-free-or/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [The Gnostics believed that exile was the essential condition of man. Do you agree? I do. The artist and the addict both wrestle with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-gnostics-believed-that-exile-was-the-essential-condition-of-man/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The soul that rises with us, our life's star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/our-birth-is-but-a-sleep-and-a-forgetting-the-soul-that-rises-with-us/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [You are a writer when you tell yourself you are. No one else's opinion matters. Screw them. You are when you say you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-are-a-writer-when-you-tell-yourself-you-are-no-one-else-s-opinion/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“Resistance outwits the amateur with the oldest trick in the book: It uses his own enthusiasm against him. Resistance gets us to plunge into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/resistance-outwits-the-amateur-with-the-oldest-trick-in-the-book-it/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“I don't need to read nothing,' said the New Zealander. 'I was there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/i-don-t-need-to-read-nothing-said-the-new-zealander-i-was-there/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

[Explore all 404 Steven Pressfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

## More Extinction quotes

> [“You go into extinction by being obsessed about becoming something else and then travelling in the wrong car while your real self keeps waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-go-into-extinction-by-being-obsessed-about-becoming-something/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [“Human race had never planned to show up in this universe. I wonder whether current human efforts are relevant to its sustainability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/human-race-had-never-planned-to-show-up-in-this-universe-i-wonder/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [The human heart is not yet so corroded that it can read off the extinction of these two men without a shock to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/the-human-heart-is-not-yet-so-corroded-that-it-can-read-off-the/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

> [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [The extinction of Homo Sapiens would mean survival for millions, if not billions, of Earth-dwelling species. Phasing out the human race will solve every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/the-extinction-of-homo-sapiens-would-mean-survival-for-millions-if/)

[Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/)

> [For the complete extinction of the state, complete Communism is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/for-the-complete-extinction-of-the-state-complete-communism-is/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [Plague has hung over human history. The biggest human extinction was after 1492 in North and South America when the mortality rate was 95…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/plague-has-hung-over-human-history-the-biggest-human-extinction-was/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Its haunting to realize that half of the languages of the world are teetering on the brink of extinction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/its-haunting-to-realize-that-half-of-the-languages-of-the-world-are/)

[Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/)

> [Human extinction in our children's lifetime, it should be your top news item every single day, what's happening, you should be holding politicians to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/human-extinction-in-our-children-s-lifetime-it-should-be-your-top/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/)

[Empress Dowager Cixi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/empress-dowager-cixi/)

> [“To return to nature is to embrace extinction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-x/to-return-to-nature-is-to-embrace-extinction/)

[Mark X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-x/)

> [We need to take a leaf out of natures book. Any species that clones itself will eventually be attacked by a parasite, leading to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-book-any-species-that-clones/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“Without death there is little innovation. Extinction - death of a species - is part and parcel of evolutionary change. In the absence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/without-death-there-is-little-innovation-extinction-death-of-a/)

[Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/)

> [In the 24 hours since this time yesterday, over 200,000 acres of rainforest have been destroyed in our world. Fully 13 million tons of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/in-the-24-hours-since-this-time-yesterday-over-200-000-acres-of/)

[Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/)

> [We find ourselves heading fully into an era of mass extinction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/severn-cullis-suzuki/we-find-ourselves-heading-fully-into-an-era-of-mass-extinction/)

[Severn Cullis-Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/severn-cullis-suzuki/)

[Browse all 581 Extinction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinction/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Like us, those vanished warriors planted their standards in the sands of their own self-summoned extinction.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steven Pressfield"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted-their-standards-in-the-sands/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Extinction"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted-their-standards-in-the-sands/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/steven-pressfield-696_political-philosophy_like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted_1071623.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/steven-pressfield-696_political-philosophy_like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted_1071623.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/steven-pressfield-696_political-philosophy_like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted_1071623.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Like us, those vanished warriors planted their standards in the sands of their own self-summoned extinction.” — Steven Pressfield",
                "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": "Steven Pressfield",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Like us, those vanished warriors planted...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted-their-standards-in-the-sands/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/like-us-those-vanished-warriors-planted-their-standards-in-the-sands/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
