---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [A] nation must ravage itself before…"
description: "\"“[A] nation must ravage itself before foreigners can ravage it, a man must despise himself before others can despise him.”\" — Yukio Mishima"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yukio-mishima-1418_contempt_a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-forei_1325081.jpg"
---

#  \[A\] nation must ravage itself before foreigners can ravage…

![“[A] nation must ravage itself before foreigners can ravage it, a man must despise himself before others can despise him.” quote by Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yukio-mishima-1418_contempt_a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-forei_1325081.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yukio-mishima-1418_contempt_a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-forei_1325081.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yukio-mishima-1418_contempt_a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-forei_1325081.jpg)

> ““\[A\] nation must ravage itself before foreigners can ravage it, a man must despise himself before others can despise him.””

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A nation must first harm itself before foreign forces can; it; similarly, self‑contempt precedes external contempt.

**In simple terms:** Self‑destruction precedes external oppression.

Key Takeaway

Avoid self‑destruction to prevent external domination.

Themes

nationalism self‑esteem power dynamics

Mood

critical philosophical

Type

political psychological

When to use this quote

- political movements
- personal growth
- social activism

Key Concepts

political theory psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What internal flaws weaken a society?
- How does self‑respect affect external perception?

A Different Perspective

Self‑harm can be self‑defeating.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Contempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt/) [Despise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despise/) [Foreigners Ravage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigners-ravage-4427411/) [Man Despise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-despise-3138330/) [Nation Ravage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-ravage-4427410/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Ravage Foreigners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ravage-foreigners-4427409/)

## Related quotes

> [A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/a-man-must-first-despise-himself-and-then-others-will-despise-him/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [“Will any man despise me? Let him see to it. But I will see to it that I may not be found doing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/will-any-man-despise-me-let-him-see-to-it-but-i-will-see-to-it-that-i/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [“I’m going to sell you as a pleasure slave to a man I despise”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/i-m-going-to-sell-you-as-a-pleasure-slave-to-a-man-i-despise/)

[C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/)

> [This subject brings me to that vilest offspring of the herd mind -- the odious militia. The man who enjoys marching in line and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/this-subject-brings-me-to-that-vilest-offspring-of-the-herd-mind-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [“You will fear the one you have contempt for. There is contempt for a snake, a tiger; that is why you are fearful (of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/you-will-fear-the-one-you-have-contempt-for-there-is-contempt-for-a/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [There are persons whom in my heart I despise, others I abhor. Yet I am not obliged to inform the one of my contempt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/there-are-persons-whom-in-my-heart-i-despise-others-i-abhor-yet-i-am/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [The highest point at which human life and art meet is in the ordinary. To look down on the ordinary is to despise what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/the-highest-point-at-which-human-life-and-art-meet-is-in-the-ordinary/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [Unless a man gives himself entirely to the Cross, in a spirit of humility and self-abasement; unless he casts himself down to be trampled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-the-evangelist/unless-a-man-gives-himself-entirely-to-the-cross-in-a-spirit-of/)

[Mark the Evangelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-the-evangelist/)

> [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/)

[Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/)

> [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/)

[Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/)

> [There is no real elevation of mind in a contempt of little things; it is, on the contrary, from too narrow views that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/there-is-no-real-elevation-of-mind-in-a-contempt-of-little-things-it/)

[Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/)

> [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/)

[Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/)

> [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

## More by Yukio Mishima

> [When a captive lion steps out of his cage, he comes into a wider world than the lion who has known only the wilds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/when-a-captive-lion-steps-out-of-his-cage-he-comes-into-a-wider-world/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [Suddenly the full long wail of a ship's horn surged through the open window and flooded the dim room - a cry of boundless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/suddenly-the-full-long-wail-of-a-ship-s-horn-surged-through-the-open/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [The purest evil that human efforts could attain, in other words, was probably achieved by those men who made their wills the same and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/the-purest-evil-that-human-efforts-could-attain-in-other-words-was/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“Because in the pupils of his eyes there lingered the mysterious and eternal horizon that the sea leaves as a keepsake deep in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/because-in-the-pupils-of-his-eyes-there-lingered-the-mysterious-and/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [As usual, it occurred to me that words were the only thing that could possibly save me from this situation. This was a characteristic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/as-usual-it-occurred-to-me-that-words-were-the-only-thing-that-could/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [Mine was the unbearable jealousy a cultured pearl must feel toward a genuine one. Or can there be such a thing in this world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/mine-was-the-unbearable-jealousy-a-cultured-pearl-must-feel-toward-a/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“Svoju patnju, koju prihvatam, moram da prihvatim kao dragocenost. Ne postoji nijedan ispirač zlata koji iskopava samo zlato. Ispirač vadi pesak sa korita reke,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/svoju-patnju-koju-prihvatam-moram-da-prihvatim-kao-dragocenost-ne/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [I am one who has always been interested only in the edges of the body and the spirit, the outlying regions of the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/i-am-one-who-has-always-been-interested-only-in-the-edges-of-the-body/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [Just let matters slide. How much better to accept each sweet drop of the honey that was Time, than to stoop to the vulgarity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/just-let-matters-slide-how-much-better-to-accept-each-sweet-drop-of/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“Great cloud masses boiled up, immense in their quiet majesty. They seemed to drink up all the noise below, even the sound of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/great-cloud-masses-boiled-up-immense-in-their-quiet-majesty-they/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [The special quality of hell is to see everything clearly down to the last detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/the-special-quality-of-hell-is-to-see-everything-clearly-down-to-the/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [It is a rather risky matter to discuss a happiness that has no need of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/it-is-a-rather-risky-matter-to-discuss-a-happiness-that-has-no-need/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“Again, Saburo Tominaga once went to the Shirakawa Prefectural Office to cash his brother Morikuni’s bonus bond and, unwilling to touch paper currency defiled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/again-saburo-tominaga-once-went-to-the-shirakawa-prefectural-office/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“To be strong and true had been the most important task he had set himself since early childhood. Once, as a boy, he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/to-be-strong-and-true-had-been-the-most-important-task-he-had-set/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [What transforms this world is — knowledge. Do you see what I mean? Nothing else can change anything in this world. Knowledge alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/what-transforms-this-world-is-knowledge-do-you-see-what-i-mean/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

[Explore all 206 Yukio Mishima quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

## More Contempt quotes

> [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/)

[Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/)

> [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [There is no real elevation of mind in a contempt of little things; it is, on the contrary, from too narrow views that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/there-is-no-real-elevation-of-mind-in-a-contempt-of-little-things-it/)

[Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/)

> [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/)

[Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/)

> [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/)

[Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/)

> [Unless a man gives himself entirely to the Cross, in a spirit of humility and self-abasement; unless he casts himself down to be trampled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-the-evangelist/unless-a-man-gives-himself-entirely-to-the-cross-in-a-spirit-of/)

[Mark the Evangelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-the-evangelist/)

> [Much of the same sort of degraded and filthy talk can still be heard among the orc-minded; dreary and repetitive with hatred and contempt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/much-of-the-same-sort-of-degraded-and-filthy-talk-can-still-be-heard/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [Contempt for an assailant is best shown by bravery in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/contempt-for-an-assailant-is-best-shown-by-bravery-in-action/)

[Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/)

> [Statuettes of drunken sailors, velvet pictures of island maidens, plastic seashell lamps made in Taiwan. What contempt the people who think up souvenirs have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/statuettes-of-drunken-sailors-velvet-pictures-of-island-maidens/)

[Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/)

> [Every person of any rank in the left, from voter on up to cabinet member to elected official in the Democrat Party, has contempt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/every-person-of-any-rank-in-the-left-from-voter-on-up-to-cabinet/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [“opprobrious term, employed to impose contempt upon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jabari-asim/opprobrious-term-employed-to-impose-contempt-upon/)

[Jabari Asim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jabari-asim/)

> [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

[Browse all 1,034 Contempt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“[A] nation must ravage itself before foreigners can ravage it, a man must despise himself before others can despise him.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yukio Mishima"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-foreigners-can-ravage-it-a-man/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Contempt"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-foreigners-can-ravage-it-a-man/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yukio-mishima-1418_contempt_a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-forei_1325081.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yukio-mishima-1418_contempt_a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-forei_1325081.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yukio-mishima-1418_contempt_a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-forei_1325081.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“[A] nation must ravage itself before foreigners can ravage it, a man must despise himself before others can…” — Yukio Mishima",
                "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": "Yukio Mishima",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“[A] nation must ravage itself before...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-foreigners-can-ravage-it-a-man/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/a-nation-must-ravage-itself-before-foreigners-can-ravage-it-a-man/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```