--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is hardly an absurdity of the past…" description: "\"“There is hardly an absurdity of the past that cannot be found flourishing somewhere in the present. Underneath all civilization, ancient or modern, mo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/will-durant-948_civilization_there-is-hardly-an-absurdity-of-the-past_89718.png" --- # There is hardly an absurdity of the past that cannot be… ![“There is hardly an absurdity of the past that cannot be found flourishing somewhere in the present. Underneath all civilization, ancient or modern, moved and still moves a sea of magic, superstition and sorcery. Perhaps they will remain when the works of our reason have passed away.” quote by Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/will-durant-948_civilization_there-is-hardly-an-absurdity-of-the-past_89718.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/will-durant-948_civilization_there-is-hardly-an-absurdity-of-the-past_89718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/will-durant-948_civilization_there-is-hardly-an-absurdity-of-the-past_89718.png) > ““There is hardly an absurdity of the past that cannot be found flourishing somewhere in the present. Underneath all civilization, ancient or modern, moved and still moves a sea of magic, superstition and sorcery. Perhaps they will remain when the works of our reason have passed away.”” [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human societies continually recycle ancient irrationalities—magic, superstition, and sorcery—underlying even the most rational cultures, suggesting a persistent, perhaps inevitable, non‑rational current. **In simple terms:** Old superstitions never fully disappear. Key Takeaway Reason coexists with enduring irrational beliefs. Themes History Superstition Rationality Cultural continuity Magic Mood Contemplative Wry Type Philosophical observation Cultural commentary When to use this quote - Modern pseudoscience trends - Folklore persisting in urban settings - Political rhetoric invoking mysticism Key Concepts Psychology of belief Sociology of knowledge Practical Applications - Critically evaluate claims of rational progress - Educate about cognitive biases Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies cling to magical thinking despite scientific advances? - Can rationality ever fully eradicate superstition? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurdity Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurdity-past-1119443/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Magic Superstition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic-superstition-1119445/) [Past Flourishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-flourishing-1119446/) [Sorcery Remain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorcery-remain-1119444/) [Superstition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstition/) [Superstition Sorcery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstition-sorcery-1119447/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There is hardly an absurdity of the past that cannot be found flourishing somewhere in the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/there-is-hardly-an-absurdity-of-the-past-that-cannot-be-found-2/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [Underneath all civilization, ancient or modern, moved and still moves a sea of magic, superstition, and sorcery. Perhaps they will remain when the works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/underneath-all-civilization-ancient-or-modern-moved-and-still-moves-a/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“People like to talk a big game. They may talk about religion or magic and superstition but in the end, this is merely a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kreiter/people-like-to-talk-a-big-game-they-may-talk-about-religion-or-magic/) [John Kreiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kreiter/) > [I mean, I totally believe in magic and superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-boden/i-mean-i-totally-believe-in-magic-and-superstition/) [Anna Boden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-boden/) > [“Magic begins in superstition, and ends in science. ... 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For all my skepticism, some trace of irrational superstition did survive in me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/do-stories-apart-from-happening-being-have-something-to-say-for-all/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [I think superstition has a lot to do with fear: the less, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-think-superstition-has-a-lot-to-do-with-fear-the-less-the-better/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## More by Will Durant > [I came to think of myself, not as a dance and chaos of molecules, but as a brief and minute portion of that majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/i-came-to-think-of-myself-not-as-a-dance-and-chaos-of-molecules-but/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“This is the tragedy of almost every civilization—that its soul is in its faith, and seldom survives philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/this-is-the-tragedy-of-almost-every-civilization-that-its-soul-is-in/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [In philosophy, as in politics, the longest distance between two points is a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/in-philosophy-as-in-politics-the-longest-distance-between-two-points/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [As long as there is poverty there will be gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/as-long-as-there-is-poverty-there-will-be-gods/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“Hence the uselessness of logic: no one ever convinced anybody by logic; and even logicians use logic only as a source of income. 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