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The first rule was, that there should always be upon the altar a few live coals for if this fire was extinguished a god ceased to exist.

— Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges The Ancient City: A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome (1877)

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More quotes by Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges

Man may, indeed, subdue nature, but he is subdued by his own thoughts.

The Ancient City: A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome (1877)

They could maintain their power only while they satisfied the cravings of the multitude, and administered to their passions.

The Ancient City: A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome (1877)

Then philosophy appeared, and [finally] overthrew all the rules of the ancient polity.

The Ancient City: A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome (1877)

It is a chaste fire; the union of the sexes must be removed far from its presence.

The Ancient City: A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome (1877)

The ancient city, like all human society, had ranks, distinctions, and inequalities.

The Ancient City: A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome (1877)

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