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Civilization is unbearable, but it is less unbearable at the top.

I don't think we're crumbling as a civilization, but this is not our finest hour, and it's good to be mindful that we're all susceptible to fall and to look at what are the earmarks of a civilization on the wane. What are they - destruction of the environment? Conspicuous consumption? Heard of those?

This great, though disastrous, culture can only change as we begin to stand off and see... the inveterate materialism which has become the model for cultures around the world.

Our most intimate contact with civilizations long since dust has been through the art which has survived them.

Civilization is a failure. We need to think what we can do together in love and peace.

Societies can be sunk by the weight of buried ugliness.

In a bid for change, we have to take off our coats, be prepared to lose our comfort and security, our jobs and positions of prestige, and our families... A struggle without casualties is no struggle.

Civilization is like a thin layer of ice upon a deep ocean of chaos and darkness.

Underneath our nice, friendly facades there is great unease. If I were to scratch below the surface of anyone I would find fear, pain, and anxiety running amok. We all have ways to cover them up. We overeat, over-drink, overwork; we watch too much television.

Civilization is the lamb's skin in which barbarism masquerades.