A period of about twelve years measured the beat of the pendulum. After the Declaration of Independence, twelve years had been needed to create an efficient Constitution; another twelve years of energy brought a reaction against the government then created; a third period of twelve years was ending in a sweep toward still greater energy; and already a child could calculate the result of a few more such returns.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- History follows a predictable twelve-year cycle of creation, reaction, and increasing energy.
- In plain terms
- Politics repeats every twelve years in a pattern.
- What can you take from it?
- Recognize cycles to anticipate change.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do cycles always repeat?
- How to predict?
Another view
Linear predictions often fail in complex systems.
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