--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: that there existed no earthly empire so…" description: "\"“that there existed no earthly empire so great or overweening that it might not one day be dashed to pieces”\" — Tom Holland" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50c/tom-holland-3180_quote_that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so_1974693.jpg" --- # that there existed no earthly empire so great or… ![“that there existed no earthly empire so great or overweening that it might not one day be dashed to pieces” quote by Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50c/tom-holland-3180_quote_that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so_1974693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50c/tom-holland-3180_quote_that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so_1974693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50c/tom-holland-3180_quote_that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so_1974693.jpg) > ““that there existed no earthly empire so great or overweening that it might not one day be dashed to pieces”” [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even the mightiest empires eventually crumble; power is impermanent. **In simple terms:** Great powers eventually fall. Key Takeaway Remember humility and prepare for change. Themes history power impermanence Mood reflective serious Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - leadership training - strategic planning - historical analysis Key Concepts rise and fall cycles political theory Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can we learn from fallen empires? - How to build lasting institutions? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on decline can breed fatalism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Earthly Empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthly-empire-3335791/) [Empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empire/) [Empire Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empire-great-1843852/) [Existed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existed/) [Existed Earthly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existed-earthly-3335790/) ## Related quotes > [America has never been an empire. We may be the only great power in history that had the chance, and refused - preferring greatness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/america-has-never-been-an-empire-we-may-be-the-only-great-power-in/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“to cause constellations of victories to flash forth at each instant from the zenith of the centuries, to make the French Empire a pendant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/to-cause-constellations-of-victories-to-flash-forth-at-each-instant/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“It was an article of faith to the Romans that they were the most morally upright people in the world. How else was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/it-was-an-article-of-faith-to-the-romans-that-they-were-the-most/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [“The Age of Intellect is accompanied by surprising advances in natural science. In the ninth century, for example, in the age of Mamun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bagot-glubb/the-age-of-intellect-is-accompanied-by-surprising-advances-in-natural/) [John Bagot Glubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bagot-glubb/) > [Basically, what Economic Hit Men are trained to do is to build up the American empire. To create situations where as many resources as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/basically-what-economic-hit-men-are-trained-to-do-is-to-build-up-the/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [When I first came to New York City, what I was thrilled about was not the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/when-i-first-came-to-new-york-city-what-i-was-thrilled-about-was-not/) [Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/) > [The Romans have provided a lot of writers with a model for various interstellar empires, of course, and no wonder. The Roman Empire is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-romans-have-provided-a-lot-of-writers-with-a-model-for-various/) [Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/) > [Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's \*because\* they sat there that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/anybody-who-ever-built-an-empire-or-changed-the-world-sat-where-you/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) [S.F. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-f-chandler/) > [“What really lies beneath our feet at each moment is not a usefulness, but an inaccessible netherworld that we can use because it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-harman/what-really-lies-beneath-our-feet-at-each-moment-is-not-a-usefulness/) [Graham Harman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-harman/) > [I don't want a trillion-dollar empire to run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-don-t-want-a-trillion-dollar-empire-to-run/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [“I got tired of constantly watching shrewd little bullies like you walk around like you mean something, like you’re better than the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-rankin/i-got-tired-of-constantly-watching-shrewd-little-bullies-like-you/) [Christopher Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-rankin/) > [My mind to me an empire is,While grace affordeth health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dyer/my-mind-to-me-an-empire-is-while-grace-affordeth-health/) [Edward Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dyer/) > [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [We'd always come into Syracuse for the Empire State Games and the stair fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beau-biden/we-d-always-come-into-syracuse-for-the-empire-state-games-and-the/) [Beau Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beau-biden/) ## More by Tom Holland > [When I'm on set, I don't really think about what an audience is going to think about a scene. I'm just thinking about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/when-i-m-on-set-i-don-t-really-think-about-what-an-audience-is-going/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [I've made 'The Pilgrimage' - where I actually had to speak Gaelic - and I was shooting in Belfast as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-ve-made-the-pilgrimage-where-i-actually-had-to-speak-gaelic-and-i/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > ['Civil War' was such a whirlwind, and I didn't really know what was going on. I was thrown into the deep end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/civil-war-was-such-a-whirlwind-and-i-didn-t-really-know-what-was/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [Me and my mates go free running all the time. It's not my mum's favourite sport. I've probably jumped four metres on to grass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/me-and-my-mates-go-free-running-all-the-time-it-s-not-my-mum-s/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [Marvel actually sent me to a school in the Bronx where I had a fake name, and I put on an accent, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/marvel-actually-sent-me-to-a-school-in-the-bronx-where-i-had-a-fake/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [When I was young, my mom realized I could dance and hold a beat, and I really danced just for fun. It was good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/when-i-was-young-my-mom-realized-i-could-dance-and-hold-a-beat-and-i/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [It's definitely a good way to stay in touch with your fans. The main reason I really use Instagram is because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/it-s-definitely-a-good-way-to-stay-in-touch-with-your-fans-the-main/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [There's too much we don't know about the ocean to make me feel comfortable around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/there-s-too-much-we-don-t-know-about-the-ocean-to-make-me-feel/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [Like, 100 percent, I hate spiders. I thought I really liked them, and I learned that was just false. I really can't be around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/like-100-percent-i-hate-spiders-i-thought-i-really-liked-them-and-i/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [“Honour, in the Republic, had never been a goal in itself, only a means to an infinite end. And what was true of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/honour-in-the-republic-had-never-been-a-goal-in-itself-only-a-means/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [I was terrified watching 'Civil War' for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-was-terrified-watching-civil-war-for-the-first-time/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [ “\[T\]he greater the sense of awe with which a text was regarded, the more complete might be the amnesia as to the original circumstances… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/t-he-greater-the-sense-of-awe-with-which-a-text-was-regarded-the-more/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [I have a photographic memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-have-a-photographic-memory/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [I am playing a superhero for kids, and I don't want them to think I'm some dirty fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-am-playing-a-superhero-for-kids-and-i-don-t-want-them-to-think-i-m/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [“The 'ulama', by tightly controlling what went into the history books, were able to propagate an understanding of their own dazzlingly rich and complex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/the-ulama-by-tightly-controlling-what-went-into-the-history-books/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) [Explore all 137 Tom Holland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) ## More Empire quotes > [We'd always come into Syracuse for the Empire State Games and the stair fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beau-biden/we-d-always-come-into-syracuse-for-the-empire-state-games-and-the/) [Beau Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beau-biden/) > [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [My mind to me an empire is,While grace affordeth health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dyer/my-mind-to-me-an-empire-is-while-grace-affordeth-health/) [Edward Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dyer/) > [“I got tired of constantly watching shrewd little bullies like you walk around like you mean something, like you’re better than the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-rankin/i-got-tired-of-constantly-watching-shrewd-little-bullies-like-you/) [Christopher Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-rankin/) > [I don't want a trillion-dollar empire to run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-don-t-want-a-trillion-dollar-empire-to-run/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [“What really lies beneath our feet at each moment is not a usefulness, but an inaccessible netherworld that we can use because it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-harman/what-really-lies-beneath-our-feet-at-each-moment-is-not-a-usefulness/) [Graham Harman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-harman/) > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) [S.F. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-f-chandler/) > [Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's \*because\* they sat there that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/anybody-who-ever-built-an-empire-or-changed-the-world-sat-where-you/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [The Romans have provided a lot of writers with a model for various interstellar empires, of course, and no wonder. The Roman Empire is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-romans-have-provided-a-lot-of-writers-with-a-model-for-various/) [Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/) > [When I first came to New York City, what I was thrilled about was not the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/when-i-first-came-to-new-york-city-what-i-was-thrilled-about-was-not/) [Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/) > [Basically, what Economic Hit Men are trained to do is to build up the American empire. To create situations where as many resources as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/basically-what-economic-hit-men-are-trained-to-do-is-to-build-up-the/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [“The Age of Intellect is accompanied by surprising advances in natural science. In the ninth century, for example, in the age of Mamun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bagot-glubb/the-age-of-intellect-is-accompanied-by-surprising-advances-in-natural/) [John Bagot Glubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bagot-glubb/) > [“Naughty business, this Empire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/naughty-business-this-empire/) [Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/) > [In seeking an empire of liberty, Jefferson wished not only to expand the country's territorial holdings, but also to extend American institutions around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/in-seeking-an-empire-of-liberty-jefferson-wished-not-only-to-expand/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Emma Rothschild's magnificently researched and lucidly written book reveals the many connections and layers of empire without in any way undermining the less edifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudrangshu-mukherjee/emma-rothschild-s-magnificently-researched-and-lucidly-written-book/) [Rudrangshu Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudrangshu-mukherjee/) [Browse all 433 Empire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“that there existed no earthly empire so great or overweening that it might not one day be dashed to pieces”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Holland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so-great-or-overweening-that-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Empire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so-great-or-overweening-that-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50c/tom-holland-3180_quote_that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so_1974693.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50c/tom-holland-3180_quote_that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so_1974693.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50c/tom-holland-3180_quote_that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so_1974693.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“that there existed no earthly empire so great or overweening that it might not one day be dashed to pieces” — Tom Holland", "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": "Tom Holland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“that there existed no earthly empire...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so-great-or-overweening-that-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/that-there-existed-no-earthly-empire-so-great-or-overweening-that-it/#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 } } ] } ```