Forgotten fall of the Roman Empire quote?

February 7, 2009 1:51 PM

I am looking for a quote I once read about the decline of nations/empires. I think the quote was specifically referencing the Roman Empire and said something to the effect of when a nation starts putting the current generation ahead of the unborn generation, that's when it falls.

I think the quote might have been in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, but I can't find it. I have always thought it was a very powerful quote, and rather relevant to today's social security issues.

Another way I think it might have been said was something along the lines of an empire falls when it puts pleasure ahead of the needs of the next generation.

I think this is also applicable to the cuts on education and research and development that recently went through, and I'd like to be able to quote it correctly.

posted by jellywerker to education (2 comments total)

The second version, about pleasure and needs, sounds like something Toynbee would say but my google fu is failing me on this.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 3:38 PM on February 7

The closest thing I've seen is "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations," which is the slogan of the Seventh Generation brand of products, attributed to the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy.
posted by GJSchaller at 7:36 PM on February 7