Decline of Power Quotes

Empires are doomed. They become more diffuse, more broke, demagogues rule, and so I was just pointing out some similarities between past empires and what's going on right now. They all have had to apply more and more harsh rhetoric of superiority and divine right to justify the building of hegemony.

The Roman government appeared every day less formidable to its enemies, more odious and oppressive to its subjects.

In the same way the Brits had to get used to the idea that the sun had set on the British Empire, I think that there's the subrosa feeling that we are at the end of the American century, and I think that's very, very hard for Americans to take.

Our basic assessment was that if America keeps going down these rabbit holes in the Middle East, we're just going to put ourselves out of business as the world leader because we're just draining resources and diplomatic bandwidth, and we're not producing outcomes.

The elite isn't leading anymore. It's trapped.

The belief in American exceptionalism has vanished with the end of empire, the weakening of power, the loss of faith in America’s future.

Immoderate power, like other intemperance, leaves the progeny weaker and weaker, until nature as in compassion covers it with her mantle and it is seen no more.

The worst thing about being a great power is when you're not one any more. It takes centuries to get over it.

The sun of her [Great Britain] glory is fast descending to the horizon. Her philosophy has crossed the Channel, her freedom the Atlantic, and herself seems passing to that awful dissolution, whose issue is not given human foresight to scan.

When I was young and the empire was beginning to disintegrate, the idea was absolutely unbelievable, particularly to children who'd been taught that the sun never set... that's what all my books are about, the end of empire.

Extended empires are like expanded gold, exchanging solid strength for feeble splendor.

Statesmen and beauties are very rarely sensible of the gradations of their decay.

Little by little, the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him.

The inactivity of a conqueror betrays the loss of strength and blood . . .