--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy…" description: "\"Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy saints of the North have earned this crumb by their complaints.\" — Wallace Stevens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/wallace-stevens-846_civilization_civilization-must-be-destroyed-the-hairy_2549386.jpg" --- # Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy saints of the… ![“Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy saints of the North have earned this crumb by their complaints.” quote by Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/wallace-stevens-846_civilization_civilization-must-be-destroyed-the-hairy_2549386.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/wallace-stevens-846_civilization_civilization-must-be-destroyed-the-hairy_2549386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/wallace-stevens-846_civilization_civilization-must-be-destroyed-the-hairy_2549386.jpg) > “Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy saints of the North have earned this crumb by their complaints.” [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) This quote is also attributed to [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) in other sources. Attributions for famous quotes are often disputed. ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The line suggests that civilization must be dismantled, and that the “hairy saints” of the North have earned their fate through complaints. **In simple terms:** Civilization’s downfall tied to complaints of northern saints. Key Takeaway Question the cost of civilization. Themes civilization destruction complaint north saints Mood critical provocative Type political philosophical When to use this quote - societal collapse - environmental crisis - political protest Key Concepts philosophy political critique mythology Questions to Reflect On - What does “civilization” mean to you? - Can destruction be a path to renewal? A Different Perspective The statement is hyperbolic and may ignore constructive aspects of civilization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Complaints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaints/) [Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saint/) ## Related quotes > [Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy saints Of the North have earned thiscrumb by their complaints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/civilization-must-be-destroyed-the-hairy-saints-of-the-north-have/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [If our civilization is destroyed, it will not be by barbarians from below. Our barbarians come from above.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-demarest-lloyd/if-our-civilization-is-destroyed-it-will-not-be-by-barbarians-from/) [Henry Demarest Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-demarest-lloyd/) > [Ours may become the first civilization destroyed, not by the power of our enemies, but by the ignorance of our teachers and the dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ours-may-become-the-first-civilization-destroyed-not-by-the-power-of/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [A civilization is destroyed only when its gods are destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/a-civilization-is-destroyed-only-when-its-gods-are-destroyed/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [“A civilization is not destroyed by wicked people; it is not necessary that people be wicked but only that they be spineless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-civilization-is-not-destroyed-by-wicked-people-it-is-not-necessary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In the end, the world and its civilization had not been destroyed by the purging flames of Heaven; instead it rotted away from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyo-komatsu/in-the-end-the-world-and-its-civilization-had-not-been-destroyed-by/) [Sakyo Komatsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyo-komatsu/) > [If human civilization were to be destroyed and its cities wiped off the map, there would be an easy way for future intelligent life-forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/if-human-civilization-were-to-be-destroyed-and-its-cities-wiped-off/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [Watching everyone root through their psyche, it just delights me. Especially R. Crumb's stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/watching-everyone-root-through-their-psyche-it-just-delights-me/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [ Julia \[Roberts\]. She's got two kids and animals, and I think she's a night nibbler. There'd be crumbs everywhere. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/julia-roberts-she-s-got-two-kids-and-animals-and-i-think-she-s-a/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [i like my body when it is with your body. It is so quite new a thing. Muscles better and nerves more. i like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-my-body-when-it-is-with-your-body-it-is-so-quite-new-a-thing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Charity provides crumbs from the table; justice offers a place at the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/charity-provides-crumbs-from-the-table-justice-offers-a-place-at-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [I elbowed my way into the grubby café, bought a pie that tasted of shoe polish and a pot of tea with cork crumbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-elbowed-my-way-into-the-grubby-caf-bought-a-pie-that-tasted-of-shoe/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [Never settle for the crumbs of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/never-settle-for-the-crumbs-of-life/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [“He always had bread crumbs in his voice, and I followed them like a fairy tale.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-c-stevens/he-always-had-bread-crumbs-in-his-voice-and-i-followed-them-like-a/) [Courtney C. Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-c-stevens/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by Wallace Stevens > [Poet, patting more nonsense foamed From the sea, conceive for thecourts Of these academies, the diviner health Disclosed in common forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/poet-patting-more-nonsense-foamed-from-the-sea-conceive-for-thecourts/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [The way through the world is more difficult to find than the way beyond it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-way-through-the-world-is-more-difficult-to-find-than-the-way/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [The magnificent cause of being, The imagination, the one reality In this imagined world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-magnificent-cause-of-being-the-imagination-the-one-reality-in/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Music falls on the silence like a sense / A passion that we feel, not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/music-falls-on-the-silence-like-a-sense-a-passion-that-we-feel-not/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [The life of the city never lets you go, nor do you ever want it to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-life-of-the-city-never-lets-you-go-nor-do-you-ever-want-it-to/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [After a lustre of the moon, we say We have not the need of any paradise, We have not the need of any seducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/after-a-lustre-of-the-moon-we-say-we-have-not-the-need-of-any/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [I am what is around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/i-am-what-is-around-me/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“We live in an old chaos of the sun, Or old dependency of day and night, Or island solitude, unsponsored, free, Of that wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/we-live-in-an-old-chaos-of-the-sun-or-old-dependency-of-day-and-night/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“Lunar Paraphrase" The moon is the mother of pathos and pity. When, at the wearier end of November, Her old light moves along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/lunar-paraphrase-the-moon-is-the-mother-of-pathos-and-pity-when-at/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Poetry is the scholar's art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/poetry-is-the-scholar-s-art/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“The stars are putting on their glittering belts, They throw around their shoulders cloaks that flash Like a great shadow's last embellishment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-stars-are-putting-on-their-glittering-belts-they-throw-around/) [wallace stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/unfortunately-there-is-nothing-more-inane-than-an-easter-carol-it-is/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [The word is the making of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-word-is-the-making-of-the-world/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [A diary is more or less the work of a man of clay whose hands are clumsy and in whose eyes there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/a-diary-is-more-or-less-the-work-of-a-man-of-clay-whose-hands-are/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [It is never the thing but the version of the thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/it-is-never-the-thing-but-the-version-of-the-thing/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) [Explore all 352 Wallace Stevens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. 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