Civilization is the distance man has placed between himself and his excreta.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Civilization is defined by how far humans keep themselves from their waste.
- In plain terms
- Civilization means hiding your waste from yourself.
- What can you take from it?
- Cleanliness defines civilization.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What defines progress?
- Is hiding waste truly progress?
Another view
Civilization involves more than waste management.
More from Brian Aldiss
Why do so many people dislike science fiction? The answer goes like this: You have to think of science fiction in contrast to its nearest competitor, heroic fa…
Permalink to quote #55 Fantasy is literature for teenagers.
Permalink to quote #57 I can't help believing that these things that come from the subconscious mind have a sort of truth to them. It may not be a scientific truth, but it's psycholo…
Permalink to quote #54
Related quotes
Our civilization is still in a middle stage - scarcely beast in that it is no longer wholly guided by instinct; scarcely human, in that it is not yet wholly gu…
Theodore DreiserTheodore Dreiser quote #2 'Yay, Old'uns' Smart mastered sicks, miles, seeds and made miracles ord'nary, but it din't master one thing, nay, a hunger in the hearts of humans, yay, a hung…
David MitchellDavid Mitchell quote #10 Is it progress if a cannibal uses a knife and fork?
Stanislaw LemStanislaw Lem quote #29