--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet in fact modernity is a surprisingly…" description: "\"“Yet in fact modernity is a surprisingly simple deal. The entire contract can be summarised in a single phrase: humans agree to give up meaning in exch..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/yuval-noah-harari-100_modernity_yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly_2370753.jpg" --- # Yet in fact modernity is a surprisingly simple deal. The… ![“Yet in fact modernity is a surprisingly simple deal. The entire contract can be summarised in a single phrase: humans agree to give up meaning in exchange for power.” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/yuval-noah-harari-100_modernity_yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly_2370753.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/yuval-noah-harari-100_modernity_yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly_2370753.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/yuval-noah-harari-100_modernity_yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly_2370753.jpg) > ““Yet in fact modernity is a surprisingly simple deal. The entire contract can be summarised in a single phrase: humans agree to give up meaning in exchange for power.”” [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. Modern societies trade meaning for power, simplifying the human contract to a single exchange. **In simple terms:** Power replaces meaning in modern life. Key Takeaway Seek meaning beyond material power. Themes meaning power modernity Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - Work - politics - spiritual practice Key Concepts Philosophy social contract Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning? - Can power be balanced with purpose? A Different Perspective Power can hollow out personal fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agree Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree-meaning-1487932/) [Fact Modernity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-modernity-5837779/) [Humans Agree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans-agree-1487933/) [Modernity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernity/) [Modernity Surprisingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernity-surprisingly-303698/) [Negotiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negotiation/) ## Related quotes > [Modernity is a deal. The entire contract can be summarised in a single phrase: humans agree to give up meaning in exchange for power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/modernity-is-a-deal-the-entire-contract-can-be-summarised-in-a-single/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“humans agree to give up meaning in exchange for power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/humans-agree-to-give-up-meaning-in-exchange-for-power/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Modernity, though, is often surprisingly difficult to "locate." Certainly modernity cannot be defined as the surpassing of earlier forms of brutality. Perhaps it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-edmonds/modernity-though-is-often-surprisingly-difficult-to-locate-certainly/) [Alexander Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-edmonds/) > [“The great political, artistic, and religious project of modernity has been to find a meaning to life that is not rooted in some great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-great-political-artistic-and-religious-project-of-modernity-has/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Modernity, in contrast, is based on the firm belief that economic growth is not only possible, but absolutely essential... Modernity has turned 'more stuff'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/modernity-in-contrast-is-based-on-the-firm-belief-that-economic/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [To be modern is to find ourselves in an environment that promises us adventure, power, joy, growth, transformation of ourselves and the world -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-berman/to-be-modern-is-to-find-ourselves-in-an-environment-that-promises-us/) [Marshall Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-berman/) > [“An attempt to wrest from God the prerogatives of absolute freedom and infinity leads to the inversion of Pentecost and what is in effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-e-gunton/an-attempt-to-wrest-from-god-the-prerogatives-of-absolute-freedom-and/) [Colin E. Gunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-e-gunton/) > [Religion and modernity are not necessarily mutually exclusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-rania-of-jordan/religion-and-modernity-are-not-necessarily-mutually-exclusive/) [Queen Rania of Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-rania-of-jordan/) > [“Our modern era embodies both the Tower of Babel and Pentecost simultaneously. Like Babel, globalization and technological advancement have created linguistic and cultural fragmentation……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paule-patterson/our-modern-era-embodies-both-the-tower-of-babel-and-pentecost/) [Paule Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paule-patterson/) > [For members of a traditional society where many traditions have been discredited, an interest in modernity can result in a restless sophistication. Mehmet Ertegun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-s-trow/for-members-of-a-traditional-society-where-many-traditions-have-been/) [George W. S. Trow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-s-trow/) > [“Further, in the modern story, reality is that which is observable, measurable, and repeatable - the kinds of phenomena available, accessible, and verifiable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-keel/further-in-the-modern-story-reality-is-that-which-is-observable/) [Tim Keel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-keel/) > [“You and I will never live to see the day that women recover their balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/you-and-i-will-never-live-to-see-the-day-that-women-recover-their/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [Altermodern is an in-progress redefinition of modernity in the era of globalisation, stressing the experience of wandering in time, space and mediums. The term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-bourriaud/altermodern-is-an-in-progress-redefinition-of-modernity-in-the-era-of/) [Nicolas Bourriaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-bourriaud/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) ## 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 Modernity quotes > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [Altermodern is an in-progress redefinition of modernity in the era of globalisation, stressing the experience of wandering in time, space and mediums. The term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-bourriaud/altermodern-is-an-in-progress-redefinition-of-modernity-in-the-era-of/) [Nicolas Bourriaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-bourriaud/) > [“You and I will never live to see the day that women recover their balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/you-and-i-will-never-live-to-see-the-day-that-women-recover-their/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [“Further, in the modern story, reality is that which is observable, measurable, and repeatable - the kinds of phenomena available, accessible, and verifiable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-keel/further-in-the-modern-story-reality-is-that-which-is-observable/) [Tim Keel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-keel/) > [For members of a traditional society where many traditions have been discredited, an interest in modernity can result in a restless sophistication. Mehmet Ertegun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-s-trow/for-members-of-a-traditional-society-where-many-traditions-have-been/) [George W. S. Trow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-s-trow/) > [“Our modern era embodies both the Tower of Babel and Pentecost simultaneously. Like Babel, globalization and technological advancement have created linguistic and cultural fragmentation……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paule-patterson/our-modern-era-embodies-both-the-tower-of-babel-and-pentecost/) [Paule Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paule-patterson/) > [Religion and modernity are not necessarily mutually exclusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-rania-of-jordan/religion-and-modernity-are-not-necessarily-mutually-exclusive/) [Queen Rania of Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-rania-of-jordan/) > [“An attempt to wrest from God the prerogatives of absolute freedom and infinity leads to the inversion of Pentecost and what is in effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-e-gunton/an-attempt-to-wrest-from-god-the-prerogatives-of-absolute-freedom-and/) [Colin E. Gunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-e-gunton/) > [To be modern is to find ourselves in an environment that promises us adventure, power, joy, growth, transformation of ourselves and the world -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-berman/to-be-modern-is-to-find-ourselves-in-an-environment-that-promises-us/) [Marshall Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-berman/) > [“To be absolutely modern is to be the ally of one's grave diggers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/to-be-absolutely-modern-is-to-be-the-ally-of-one-s-grave-diggers/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [What modernity requires is not that you cease living according to your faith, but that you accept that others may differ and that therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/what-modernity-requires-is-not-that-you-cease-living-according-to/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [In late modernity we grow more and more accustomed to politicians and public figures who are indebted to their appetites for their "values," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/in-late-modernity-we-grow-more-and-more-accustomed-to-politicians-and/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [Modernity consists in a revolt against the prevailing style, an unyielding rage against the official order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/modernity-consists-in-a-revolt-against-the-prevailing-style-an/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“Indeed, the idea that doubt can be heroic, if it is locked into a structure as grand as that of the paintings of Cezanne's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/indeed-the-idea-that-doubt-can-be-heroic-if-it-is-locked-into-a/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) [Browse all 354 Modernity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Yet in fact modernity is a surprisingly simple deal. The entire contract can be summarised in a single phrase: humans agree to give up meaning in exchange for power.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yuval Noah Harari" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly-simple-deal-the-entire/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Modernity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly-simple-deal-the-entire/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/yuval-noah-harari-100_modernity_yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly_2370753.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/yuval-noah-harari-100_modernity_yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly_2370753.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/yuval-noah-harari-100_modernity_yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly_2370753.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yet in fact modernity is a surprisingly simple deal. The entire contract can be summarised in a single…” — 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": "“Yet in fact modernity is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly-simple-deal-the-entire/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-in-fact-modernity-is-a-surprisingly-simple-deal-the-entire/#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 } } ] } ```