Decline Quote by William Graham Sumner
“A drunkard in the gutter is just where he ought to be, according to the fitness and tendency of things. Nature has set upon him the process of decline and dissolution by which she removes things which have survived their usefulness.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Sociology of Social Evolution, 1905
Nature naturally discards what has outlived its usefulness, leading to decline and dissolution.
In simple terms: Nature removes things that are no longer useful.
Key Takeaway
Accept natural cycles of decay.
Themes
impermanence
natural order
decline
Mood
philosophical
analytical
Type
sociology
naturalistic
When to use this quote
- business product lifecycles
- career transitions
- environmental decay
Key Concepts
entropy
evolution
obsolescence
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you respond when you feel obsolete?
- What can you do to remain useful?
A Different Perspective
May overlook human agency in change.
![“The yearning after equality [in economic outcome] is the offspring of envy and covetousness, and there is no possible plan for satisfying that yearning which can do aught else than rob A to give to B; consequently all such plans nourish some of the meanest vices of human nature, waste capital, and…” quote by William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9b4/william-graham-sumner-5011_can-do_the-yearning-after-equality-in-economic_454035.jpg)
