--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the perpetual oscillation of nations…" description: "\"If the perpetual oscillation of nations between anarchy and despotism is to be replaced by the steady march of self-restraining freedom, it will be bec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/thomas-huxley-1183_anarchy_if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations_2687834.png" --- # If the perpetual oscillation of nations between anarchy… ![“If the perpetual oscillation of nations between anarchy and despotism is to be replaced by the steady march of self-restraining freedom, it will be because men will gradually bring themselves to deal with political, as they now deal with scientific questions.” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/thomas-huxley-1183_anarchy_if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations_2687834.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/thomas-huxley-1183_anarchy_if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations_2687834.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/thomas-huxley-1183_anarchy_if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations_2687834.png) > “If the perpetual oscillation of nations between anarchy and despotism is to be replaced by the steady march of self-restraining freedom, it will be because men will gradually bring themselves to deal with political, as they now deal with scientific questions.” [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suggests societies will evolve from chaos to self‑restraining freedom as people apply scientific reasoning to politics. **In simple terms:** Science will guide politics toward self‑restraining freedom. Key Takeaway Promote rational governance. Themes political evolution science freedom Mood thoughtful optimistic Type philosophical speculative When to use this quote - education reform - policy design - public discourse Key Concepts philosophy social contract Questions to Reflect On - Can scientific methods solve political issues? - What limits self‑restraint? A Different Perspective Human nature may resist self‑restraint. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchy/) [Despotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Oscillation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oscillation/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Rebellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellion/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [The rich have become richer, and the poor have become poorer; and the vessel of the state is driven between the Scylla and Charybdis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/the-rich-have-become-richer-and-the-poor-have-become-poorer-and-the/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [I earnestly pray that the Omnipotent Being who has not deserted the cause of America in the hour of its extremest hazard, will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-earnestly-pray-that-the-omnipotent-being-who-has-not-deserted-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [When young Galileo, then a student at Pisa, noticed one day during divine service a chandelier swinging backwards and forwards, and convinced himself, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-von-helmholtz/when-young-galileo-then-a-student-at-pisa-noticed-one-day-during/) [Hermann von Helmholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-von-helmholtz/) > [Men get tired of everything, of heaven no less than of hell; and that all history is nothing but a record of the oscillations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-get-tired-of-everything-of-heaven-no-less-than-of-hell-and-that/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Many of us may have watched the waves at sea. 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Resting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/sometimes-when-i-am-tired-of-so-many-oscillations-i-look-for-refuge/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [The observations, so numerous and so important, of the pendulum as object are especially relevant to the length of its oscillations. Those that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-foucault/the-observations-so-numerous-and-so-important-of-the-pendulum-as/) Leon Foucault > [Mere numbers cannot bring out ... the intimate essence of the experiment. This conviction comes naturally when one watches a subject at work. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-binet/mere-numbers-cannot-bring-out-the-intimate-essence-of-the-experiment/) [Alfred Binet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-binet/) > [There are a lot of parallels between the historical Henry VIII and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. There's an oscillation and extremity of emotion throughout his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/there-are-a-lot-of-parallels-between-the-historical-henry-viii-and/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [The hypothesis of molecular vortices is defined to be that which assumes - that each atom of matter consists of a nucleus or central…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-john-macquorn-rankine/the-hypothesis-of-molecular-vortices-is-defined-to-be-that-which/) [William John Macquorn Rankine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-john-macquorn-rankine/) > [What we are saying is that on top of the warming trend there is a long-periodic oscillation that will probably lead to a lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mojib-latif/what-we-are-saying-is-that-on-top-of-the-warming-trend-there-is-a/) Mojib Latif > [For under certain conditions the chemical atoms emit light waves of a specific length or oscillation frequency - their familiar characteristic spectra - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-stark/for-under-certain-conditions-the-chemical-atoms-emit-light-waves-of-a/) [Johannes Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-stark/) > [Deaths, births, and marriages, considering how much they are separately dependent on the freedom of the human will, should seem to be subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/deaths-births-and-marriages-considering-how-much-they-are-separately/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) ## More by Thomas Huxley > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [There is nothing of permanent value (putting aside a few human affections) nothing that satisfies quiet reflection--except the sense of having worked according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/there-is-nothing-of-permanent-value-putting-aside-a-few-human/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Economy does not lie in sparing money, but in spending it wisely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/economy-does-not-lie-in-sparing-money-but-in-spending-it-wisely/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [It is not to be forgotten that what we call rational grounds for our beliefs are often extremely irrational attempts to justify our instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/it-is-not-to-be-forgotten-that-what-we-call-rational-grounds-for-our/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Only a scientific people can survive in a scientific future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/only-a-scientific-people-can-survive-in-a-scientific-future/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Our reverence for the nobility of manhood will not be lessened by the knowledge that man is in substance and in structure, one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/our-reverence-for-the-nobility-of-manhood-will-not-be-lessened-by-the/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [In science, as in art, and, as I believe, in every other sphere of human activity, there may be wisdom in a multitude of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/in-science-as-in-art-and-as-i-believe-in-every-other-sphere-of-human/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Science is simply common sense at its best, that is, rigidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/science-is-simply-common-sense-at-its-best-that-is-rigidly-accurate/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Oh devil! truth is better than much profit. 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That I take to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/in-matters-of-the-intellect-do-not-pretend-that-conclusions-are/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [And you very soon find out, if you have not found it out before, that patience and tenacity of purpose are worth more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/and-you-very-soon-find-out-if-you-have-not-found-it-out-before-that/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [No one who has lived in the world as long as you & I have, can entertain the pious delusion that it is engineered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/no-one-who-has-lived-in-the-world-as-long-as-you-i-have-can-entertain/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Mix salt and sand, and it shall puzzle the wisest of men, with his mere natural appliances, to separate all the grains of sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/mix-salt-and-sand-and-it-shall-puzzle-the-wisest-of-men-with-his-mere/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [What are the moral convictions most fondly held by barbarous and semi-barbarous people? 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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 > [“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": "If the perpetual oscillation of nations between anarchy and despotism is to be replaced by the steady march of self-restraining freedom, it will be because men will gradually bring themselves to deal with political, as they now deal with scientific questions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Huxley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations-between-anarchy-and-despotism/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anarchy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations-between-anarchy-and-despotism/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/thomas-huxley-1183_anarchy_if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations_2687834.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/thomas-huxley-1183_anarchy_if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations_2687834.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/thomas-huxley-1183_anarchy_if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations_2687834.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If the perpetual oscillation of nations between anarchy and despotism is to be replaced by the steady march…” — Thomas Huxley", "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": "Thomas Huxley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If the perpetual oscillation of nations...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations-between-anarchy-and-despotism/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/if-the-perpetual-oscillation-of-nations-between-anarchy-and-despotism/#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 } } ] } ```