Send a Quote Enter a brief message. SendOk2 “The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complaceny to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependency back again into bondage.” ~ Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (1742-1813) Lord Woodhouselee, Scottish jurist, professor and historianSource: Questionable. See http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/tyler.asp