--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why are revolutions so rare? Why do the…" description: "\"“Why are revolutions so rare? Why do the masses sometimes clap and cheer for centuries on end, doing everything the man on the balcony commands them, e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/yuval-noah-harari-100_positive_why-are-revolutions-so-rare-why-do-the-m_907920.jpg" --- # Why are revolutions so rare? Why do the masses sometimes… ![“Why are revolutions so rare? Why do the masses sometimes clap and cheer for centuries on end, doing everything the man on the balcony commands them, even though they could in theory charge forward at any moment and tear him to pieces?” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/yuval-noah-harari-100_positive_why-are-revolutions-so-rare-why-do-the-m_907920.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/yuval-noah-harari-100_positive_why-are-revolutions-so-rare-why-do-the-m_907920.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/yuval-noah-harari-100_positive_why-are-revolutions-so-rare-why-do-the-m_907920.jpg) > ““Why are revolutions so rare? Why do the masses sometimes clap and cheer for centuries on end, doing everything the man on the balcony commands them, even though they could in theory charge forward at any moment and tear him to pieces?”” [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. Masses often obey authority despite power to revolt, due to social conditioning, fear, and perceived stability. **In simple terms:** People follow leaders even when they could rebel. Key Takeaway Recognize and address the psychological barriers to collective action. Themes authority conformity revolution psychology social control Mood reflective critical analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political campaigns - grassroots organizing - labor movements - community meetings Key Concepts social psychology political theory collective behavior Questions to Reflect On - What fears keep people from acting? - How can leaders inspire safe dissent? A Different Perspective Masses may lack organization or clear alternatives, limiting revolt. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clap/) [Clap Cheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clap-cheer-1304666/) [Masses Clap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masses-clap-1304665/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Revolutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutions/) [Revolutions Rare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutions-rare-1304664/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Bloodless revolutions are rare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/bloodless-revolutions-are-rare/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“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/) > [“Three important revolutions shaped the course of history: the Cognitive Revolution kick-started history about 70,000 years ago. The Agricultural Revolution sped it up about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/three-important-revolutions-shaped-the-course-of-history-the-2/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“THE LAST 500 YEARS HAVE WITNESSED A breathtaking series of revolutions. The earth has been united into a single ecological and historical sphere. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-last-500-years-have-witnessed-a-breathtaking-series-of/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Since 1789, despite numerous wars, revolutions and upheavals, humans have not managed to conceive of any new value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/since-1789-despite-numerous-wars-revolutions-and-upheavals-humans/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Revolutions are, by definition, unpredictable. A predictable revolution never erupts. Why”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/revolutions-are-by-definition-unpredictable-a-predictable-revolution/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Three important revolutions shaped the course of history: the Cognitive Revolution kick-started history about 70,000 years ago. The Agricultural Revolution sped it up about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/three-important-revolutions-shaped-the-course-of-history-the/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Map 2. Locations and dates of agricultural revolutions. The data is contentious, and the map is constantly being redrawn to incorporate the latest archaeological discoveries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/map-2-locations-and-dates-of-agricultural-revolutions-the-data-is/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“In order to mount a revolution, numbers are never enough. Revolutions are usually made by small networks of agitators rather than by the masses.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-order-to-mount-a-revolution-numbers-are-never-enough-revolutions-2/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“In order to mount a revolution, numbers are never enough. Revolutions are usually made by small networks of agitators rather than by the masses.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-order-to-mount-a-revolution-numbers-are-never-enough-revolutions/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Up until the nineteenth century, the vast majority of military revolutions were the product of organisational rather than technological changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/up-until-the-nineteenth-century-the-vast-majority-of-military/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Conservatism is the worship of dead revolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clinton-rossiter/conservatism-is-the-worship-of-dead-revolutions/) [Clinton Rossiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-rossiter/) > [The revolutions of thought which shape the basic outlook of an age are not disseminated through text-books- they spread like epidemics, through contamination by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-revolutions-of-thought-which-shape-the-basic-outlook-of-an-age/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Music used to cause revolutions and I'm not seeing much revolution anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/music-used-to-cause-revolutions-and-i-m-not-seeing-much-revolution/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [History respects revolutions; and yet, if a revolution is progressive, support it; if it is reactionary, resist it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/history-respects-revolutions-and-yet-if-a-revolution-is-progressive/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Yuval Noah Harari > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. 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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 Clap quotes > [For me it's the same thing if the fans boo or not, because my role is the villain. I'm happy when you clap me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-del-rio/for-me-it-s-the-same-thing-if-the-fans-boo-or-not-because-my-role-is/) [Alberto Del Rio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-del-rio/) > [“No, no,” he said. “She can’t raise it at all. She may only clap. Women must be very careful of their voices. 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I know you had your fears, you can let em all go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/clap-clap-let-em-fall-slow-i-know-you-had-your-fears-you-can-let-em/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [“every thunderstorm has more than one thunder clap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sable-sylvan/every-thunderstorm-has-more-than-one-thunder-clap/) [Sable Sylvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sable-sylvan/) > [“My heart applauds inside my ears, first like a roaring crowd, then slows and slows until it's a solitary person, clapping with unbridled sarcasm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/my-heart-applauds-inside-my-ears-first-like-a-roaring-crowd-then/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [I transitioned into theater and acting when I was about 9, community theater and musicals, being, like, chorus-kid-number-78 or whatever. But I just loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-maslany/i-transitioned-into-theater-and-acting-when-i-was-about-9-community/) [Tatiana Maslany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-maslany/) > [“What is it about the sound of clapping hands? Why does it seem like an ocean of sound, breaking like waves on top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/what-is-it-about-the-sound-of-clapping-hands-why-does-it-seem-like-an/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“I think you've been sleeping on the job; the city isn't exactly paradise," she said caustically. 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