---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Such vicious circles can go on for…"
description: "\"“Such vicious circles can go on for centuries and even millennia, perpetuating an imagined hierarchy that sprang from a chance historical occurrence. U..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/yuval-noah-harari-100_history_such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centu_1456368.jpg"
---

#  Such vicious circles can go on for centuries and even…

![“Such vicious circles can go on for centuries and even millennia, perpetuating an imagined hierarchy that sprang from a chance historical occurrence. Unjust discrimination often gets worse, not better, with time. Money comes to money, and poverty to poverty. Education comes to education, and…” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/yuval-noah-harari-100_history_such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centu_1456368.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/yuval-noah-harari-100_history_such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centu_1456368.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/yuval-noah-harari-100_history_such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centu_1456368.jpg)

> ““Such vicious circles can go on for centuries and even millennia, perpetuating an imagined hierarchy that sprang from a chance historical occurrence. Unjust discrimination often gets worse, not better, with time. Money comes to money, and poverty to poverty. Education comes to education, and ignorance to ignorance. Those once victimised by history are likely to be victimised yet again. And those whom history has privileged are more likely to be privileged again.””

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

## About This Quote

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

Historical patterns of inequality self‑reinforce, creating enduring hierarchies that repeat across generations.

**In simple terms:** Inequality repeats itself over time.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and break cycles of privilege.

Themes

inequality history social stratification

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

analytical critical

When to use this quote

- policy reform
- education initiatives
- economic empowerment
- community advocacy

Key Concepts

feedback loops structural bias intergenerational transmission

Questions to Reflect On

- How can institutions redesign incentives to disrupt self‑reinforcing inequality?
- What role does collective memory play in perpetuating hierarchies?

A Different Perspective

Complex issues also involve cultural attitudes and power dynamics that resist change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Vicious circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vicious-circles/)

## Related quotes

> [“Those once victimised by history are likely to be victimised yet again. And those whom history has privileged are more likely to be privileged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/those-once-victimised-by-history-are-likely-to-be-victimised-yet/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [The history of the world is the history of the privileged few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-history-of-the-world-is-the-history-of-the-privileged-few/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [“an even deeper level of human consciousness. Such vicious circles can go on for centuries and even millennia, perpetuating an imagined hierarchy that sprang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/an-even-deeper-level-of-human-consciousness-such-vicious-circles-can/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [As we have seen so clearly demonstrated in Europe, hate breeds hate and the vicious circle revolves with all its attending madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-celler/as-we-have-seen-so-clearly-demonstrated-in-europe-hate-breeds-hate/)

[Emanuel Celler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-celler/)

> [Our society is turning toward more and more needless consumption. It is a vicious circle that I compare to cancer . . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-yves-cousteau/our-society-is-turning-toward-more-and-more-needless-consumption-it/)

[Jacques Yves Cousteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-yves-cousteau/)

> [He was weary of the uncertainty of the vicious circle of that eternal war that always found him in the same place, but always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-was-weary-of-the-uncertainty-of-the-vicious-circle-of-that-eternal/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [One of the most dangerously vicious circles menacing the continued existence of all mankind arises through that grim striving for the highest possible position…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/one-of-the-most-dangerously-vicious-circles-menacing-the-continued/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If we want world peace, we must break the vicious circle of violence and reprisal, of an eye for an eye, of endless hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/if-we-want-world-peace-we-must-break-the-vicious-circle-of-violence/)

[Alfred-Maurice de Zayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/)

> [Inflation is probably the most important single factor in that vicious circle wherein one kind of government action makes more and more government control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/inflation-is-probably-the-most-important-single-factor-in-that/)

[Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/)

> [It seems to be the special peculiarity of human beings that they reflect: they think about thinking and know that they know. This, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/it-seems-to-be-the-special-peculiarity-of-human-beings-that-they/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [Another source of fallacy is the vicious circle of illusions which consists on the one hand of believing what we see, and on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/another-source-of-fallacy-is-the-vicious-circle-of-illusions-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For many, the regressive belief in superstitions and miracles is an escape from the hardships of life. Once trapped into irrationalism, they become more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanal-edamaruku/for-many-the-regressive-belief-in-superstitions-and-miracles-is-an/)

Sanal Edamaruku

> [“Tiredness thus draws whole families into the vicious circle of poor nutrition and lack of exercise. The sluggishness that comes from poor diet feeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-palmer/tiredness-thus-draws-whole-families-into-the-vicious-circle-of-poor/)

Sue Palmer

> [Mutual fund managers are trapped in this rather deadly vicious circle: the more successful they are, the more money flows into their mutual fund.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/mutual-fund-managers-are-trapped-in-this-rather-deadly-vicious-circle/)

[Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/)

> [I loved her more than she loved me, that was the problem. A basic imbalance. Relationships like that never last, however hard you try.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-loved-her-more-than-she-loved-me-that-was-the-problem-a-basic/)

[Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/)

## More by Yuval Noah Harari

> [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. And whereas you can conquer oil fields through war, you cannot acquire knowledge that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/today-the-main-source-of-wealth-is-knowledge-and-whereas-you-can/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/how-do-you-cause-people-to-believe-in-an-imagined-order-such-as/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [I think the basic thing that happened is we have lost our story. Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/i-think-the-basic-thing-that-happened-is-we-have-lost-our-story/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas chimpanzees spend five hours a day chewing raw food, a single hour suffices for people eating cooked food. The advent of cooking enabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-chimpanzees-spend-five-hours-a-day-chewing-raw-food-a-single/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“the Chinese air-purification market is booming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-chinese-air-purification-market-is-booming/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas liberalism merged with the milder versions of nationalism to protect the unique experiences of each human community, evolutionary humanists such as Hitler identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-liberalism-merged-with-the-milder-versions-of-nationalism-to/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Corporations, money and nations exist only in our imagination. We invented them to serve us; why do we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/corporations-money-and-nations-exist-only-in-our-imagination-we/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Small children in affluent societies often dislike showering, and it takes them years of education and parental discipline to adopt this supposedly attractive custom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/small-children-in-affluent-societies-often-dislike-showering-and-it/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Ever more scholars see cultures as a kind of mental infection or parasite, with humans as its unwitting host. Organic parasites, such as viruses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/ever-more-scholars-see-cultures-as-a-kind-of-mental-infection-or/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Soviet Communism was a fanatical and missionary religion. A devout Communist could not be a Christian or a Buddhist, and was expected to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/soviet-communism-was-a-fanatical-and-missionary-religion-a-devout/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas religion asks us to believe in something, money asks us to believe that other people believe in something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-religion-asks-us-to-believe-in-something-money-asks-us-to/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Terrorists are like a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot budge even a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/terrorists-are-like-a-fly-that-tries-to-destroy-a-china-shop-the-fly/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Yet what happens if the greedy shoemaker increases his profits by paying employees less and increasing their work hours? The standard answer is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-what-happens-if-the-greedy-shoemaker-increases-his-profits-by/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“A natural order is a stable order. There is no chance that gravity will cease to function tomorrow, even if people stop believing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-natural-order-is-a-stable-order-there-is-no-chance-that-gravity/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

[Explore all 1,200 Yuval Noah Harari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

## More History quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/)

[Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/)

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/)

[David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/)

> [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/)

[Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/)

> [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/)

[Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/)

> [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/)

C-DASH

> [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/)

[Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/)

> [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

[Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Such vicious circles can go on for centuries and even millennia, perpetuating an imagined hierarchy that sprang from a chance historical occurrence. Unjust discrimination often gets worse, not better, with time. Money comes to money, and poverty to poverty. Education comes to education, and ignorance to ignorance. Those once victimised by history are likely to be victimised yet again. And those whom history has privileged are more likely to be privileged again.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yuval Noah Harari"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centuries-and-even-millennia/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "History"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centuries-and-even-millennia/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/yuval-noah-harari-100_history_such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centu_1456368.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/yuval-noah-harari-100_history_such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centu_1456368.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/yuval-noah-harari-100_history_such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centu_1456368.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Such vicious circles can go on for centuries and even millennia, perpetuating an imagined hierarchy that…” — Yuval Noah Harari",
                "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": "Yuval Noah Harari",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Such vicious circles can go on...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centuries-and-even-millennia/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/such-vicious-circles-can-go-on-for-centuries-and-even-millennia/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
