Civilization Quotes

20 quotes

Take up the White Man's burden— — No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper— — The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter, The roads ye shall not tread,
Go make them with your living, And mark them with your dead.

Take up the White Man's burden— — And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better, The hate of those ye guard--
The cry of hosts ye humour (Ah, slowly!) toward the light:—
"Why brought ye us from bondage, "Our loved Egyptian night?"

Take up the White Man's burden— — Ye dare not stoop to less--
Nor call too loud on Freedom To cloak your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper, By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples Shall weigh your Gods and you.

Take up the White man's burden
Send forth the best ye breed —
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild —
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

Take up the White Man's burden —
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times mad plain.
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.

Take up the White Man's burden —
The savage wars of peace —
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch Sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hope to nought.

Civilized man refused to adapt himself to his environment. Instead, he adapted his environment to suit him. So, he built cities, roads, vehicles, machinery, and he put up power lines
to run his labor-saving devices, but somehow, he didn't know when to stop. The more he improved his surroundings to make his life easier, the more complicated he made it. So now his children are sentenced to 10 to 15 years of school just to learn how to survive in this complex and hazardous habitat they were born into. And civilized man, who refused to adapt himself
to his natural surroundings, now finds he has to adapt and re-adapt himself every day and every hour of the day to his self-created environment.