The flush toilet, more than any single invention, has 'civilized' us in a way that religion and law could never accomplish.

Each new generation born is in effect an invasion of civilization by little barbarians, who must be civilized before it is too late

Civilized society is one huge bourgeoisie: no nobleman dares now shock his greengrocer.

Civilization’ is just a word! There is a touch of indirect ‘racism’ in it. It unjustly means that the primitive people were ‘uncivilized’, ‘bad’, ‘brutal’, ‘barbaric’ etc. Being primitive was as civilized as being modern is! The ancient ‘time’ was THE civilization-moment for the people then as the present time is for us now! As we should not hate other cultures, similarly we should not hate the ancient civilization. Most importantly, we would never exist if those so-called primitive people were not here on earth!

Civilization lies in the mind, not in attire or books.

The three great elements of modern civilization, Gunpowder, Printing, and the Protestant Religion.