Herbert Spencer (1851), Social Statics : or, The Conditions Essential to Happiness Specified, and the First of them Developed. Pt. II, Ch. 16, The Rights of Women
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Attila conceived himself to have a divine claim to the dominion of the earth: — the Spaniards subdued the Indians under plea of converting them to Christianity; hanging thirteen refractory ones in honour of Jesus Christ and his apostles: and we English justify our colonial aggressions by saying that the Creator intends the Anglo-Saxon race to people the world!
— Herbert Spencer on Attila
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Attila conceived himself to have a divine claim to the dominion of the earth: — the Spaniards subdued the Indians under plea of converting them to Christianity; hanging thirteen refractory ones in honour of Jesus Christ and his apostles: and we English justify our colonial aggressions by saying that the Creator intends the Anglo-Saxon race to people the world!" in the context of "Herbert Spencer (1851), Social Statics : or, The Conditions Essential to Happiness Specified, and the First of them Developed. Pt. II, Ch. 16, The Rights of Women" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Attila" (Quotes about Attila)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher, classical liberal political theorist, and sociological theorist of the Victorian era. He developed an all-embracing conception of evolution as the progressive development of the physical world, biological organisms, the human mind, and human culture and societies. He is known for coining the phrase "survival of the fittest".
About Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher, classical liberal political theorist, and sociological theorist of the Victorian era. He developed an all-embracing conception of evolution as the progressive development of the physical world, biological organisms, the human mind, and human culture and societies. He is known for coining the phrase "survival of the fittest".
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