--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then came a time which pulled down…" description: "\"“Then came a time which pulled down antiquities. Then the words were spoken: The house must die. But the house was stronger than the words, as it was..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/thea-von-harbou-38737_time_then-came-a-time-which-pulled-down-antiq_1671162.jpg" --- # Then came a time which pulled down antiquities. Then the… ![“Then came a time which pulled down antiquities. Then the words were spoken: The house must die. But the house was stronger than the words, as it was stronger than the centuries. With suddenly falling stones it slew those who laid hands on its walls. It opened the floor under their feet, dragging…” quote by Thea von Harbou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/thea-von-harbou-38737_time_then-came-a-time-which-pulled-down-antiq_1671162.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/thea-von-harbou-38737_time_then-came-a-time-which-pulled-down-antiq_1671162.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/thea-von-harbou-38737_time_then-came-a-time-which-pulled-down-antiq_1671162.jpg) > ““Then came a time which pulled down antiquities.  Then the words were spoken: The house must die.  But the house was stronger than the words, as it was stronger than the centuries.  With suddenly falling stones it slew those who laid hands on its walls.  It opened the floor under their feet, dragging them down into a shaft, of which no man had previously had any knowledge.  It was as though the plague, which had formerly wandered in the wake of the red shoes of the magician, still crouched in the corners of the narrow house, springing out at men from behind, to seize them by the neck.”” [Thea von Harbou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-von-harbou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A powerful structure resists destruction, crushing those who try to dismantle it, symbolizing oppressive systems that trap individuals. **In simple terms:** Strong institutions can crush dissenters. Key Takeaway Beware of rigid systems that suppress change. Themes power oppression resistance history danger Mood tense foreboding dramatic Type literary warning When to use this quote - political movements - urban redevelopment - personal boundaries - social reform Key Concepts authoritarianism structural violence mythic symbolism Questions to Reflect On - What structures in your life feel unbreakable? - How can you navigate oppressive environments? A Different Perspective Even strong structures can be vulnerable to internal decay. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antiquities Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiquities-words-860206/) [Falling Stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-stones-860209/) [House Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-die-860208/) [Plague Wandered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plague-wandered-860205/) [Pulled Antiquities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pulled-antiquities-860207/) [Red shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-shoes/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I never wanted a too die for house, or a too die for car. 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You know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/even-in-the-red-shoes-a-film-that-nobody-ever-has-complaints-about/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [Kids raised on a culture of ‘We’re not going to keep score in the game because we don’t want anybody to lose.’ Or just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/kids-raised-on-a-culture-of-we-re-not-going-to-keep-score-in-the-game/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [I believe every woman should own at least one pair of red shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-every-woman-should-own-at-least-one-pair-of-red-shoes/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I remember being mad about having pink and red shoes. 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I still remember every syllable.  You said: ‘I don’t hear a word you say—! only hear Hel! If I were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-von-harbou/but-i-do-joh-i-still-remember-every-syllable-you-said-i-don-t-hear-a/) [Thea von Harbou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-von-harbou/) > [“Did he not live in a town which lay deeper under the earth than the underground stations of Metropolis, with their thousand shafts—In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-von-harbou/did-he-not-live-in-a-town-which-lay-deeper-under-the-earth-than-the/) [Thea von Harbou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-von-harbou/) > [“This book is not of today or of the future. It tells of no place. It serves no cause, party or class. It has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-von-harbou/this-book-is-not-of-today-or-of-the-future-it-tells-of-no-place-it/) [Thea von Harbou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-von-harbou/) > [“You have suffered,” thought his dream-filled brain.  “You have been redeemed by suffering.  You have attained to bliss... Is it worth while to suffer?-Yes.” And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-von-harbou/you-have-suffered-thought-his-dream-filled-brain-you-have-been/) [Thea von Harbou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-von-harbou/) [Explore all 11 Thea von Harbou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-von-harbou/) ## More Red shoes quotes > [As a kid, I was not a tomboy; I was a total girl wearing tutus and red shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-potter/as-a-kid-i-was-not-a-tomboy-i-was-a-total-girl-wearing-tutus-and-red/) [Grace Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-potter/) > [I love visual stylists like Bob Fosse and Vincente Minnelli and Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger with The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-gomez-rejon/i-love-visual-stylists-like-bob-fosse-and-vincente-minnelli-and/) [Alfonso Gomez-Rejon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-gomez-rejon/) > [“Madrid. It was that time, the story of Don Zana 'The Marionette,' he with the hair of cream-colored string, he with the large and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-s-nchez-ferlosio/madrid-it-was-that-time-the-story-of-don-zana-the-marionette-he-with/) [Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-s-nchez-ferlosio/) > [I remember being mad about having pink and red shoes. I gew up envying other girls' pink and red shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miuccia-prada/i-remember-being-mad-about-having-pink-and-red-shoes-i-gew-up-envying/) [Miuccia Prada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miuccia-prada/) > [I believe every woman should own at least one pair of red shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-every-woman-should-own-at-least-one-pair-of-red-shoes/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Kids raised on a culture of ‘We’re not going to keep score in the game because we don’t want anybody to lose.’ Or just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/kids-raised-on-a-culture-of-we-re-not-going-to-keep-score-in-the-game/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [Even in 'The Red Shoes,' a film that nobody ever has complaints about, there are enormous continuity bumps, and it doesn't matter. You know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/even-in-the-red-shoes-a-film-that-nobody-ever-has-complaints-about/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [“I have to admit," I said when he finished a lengthy discussion on the types of drivers, "I've been golfing and it's about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindi-madsen/i-have-to-admit-i-said-when-he-finished-a-lengthy-discussion-on-the/) [Cindi Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindi-madsen/) > [“I am the kid with the dirty red shoes. That’s not dirt, it’s blood. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-am-the-kid-with-the-dirty-red-shoes-that-s-not-dirt-it-s-blood/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“My father took me to see this film in 1950, when I was eight years old. And I’ve never forgotten it. I wouldn’t know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/my-father-took-me-to-see-this-film-in-1950-when-i-was-eight-years-old/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“Eleanor found herself unexpectedly admiring her own feet. 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Her hair was as golden as the sun's rays, and her soul as clear and blue as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-leroux/little-lotte-thought-of-everything-and-nothing-her-hair-was-as-golden/) [Gaston Leroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-leroux/) [Browse all 30 Red shoes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-shoes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Then came a time which pulled down antiquities.  Then the words were spoken: The house must die.  But the house was stronger than the words, as it was stronger than the centuries.  With suddenly falling stones it slew those who laid hands on its walls.  It opened the floor under their feet, dragging them down into a shaft, of which no man had previously had any knowledge.  It was as though the plague, which had formerly wandered in the wake of the red shoes of the magician, still crouched in the corners of the narrow house, springing out at men from behind, to seize them by the neck.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thea von Harbou" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-von-harbou/then-came-a-time-which-pulled-down-antiquities-then-the-words-were/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Red shoes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-von-harbou/then-came-a-time-which-pulled-down-antiquities-then-the-words-were/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/thea-von-harbou-38737_time_then-came-a-time-which-pulled-down-antiq_1671162.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/thea-von-harbou-38737_time_then-came-a-time-which-pulled-down-antiq_1671162.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/thea-von-harbou-38737_time_then-came-a-time-which-pulled-down-antiq_1671162.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Then came a time which pulled down antiquities. 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