“Towards the end of the twelfth century, while Western Europe was still wavering between a dying Roman influence and a dawning Gothicism, preliminaries to a medieval era which would make possible the development of a world-wide humanism, Asia had already lived through her classical period and, sinking into decay, was preparing to face a long period of political and spiritual unrest. While India was beginning to suffer under the yoke of the victorious Mussulman, who had come down on her from the mountains of Afghanistan and the plains of Iran, and while the domination of the Khmers was reaching its climax at Angkor, China, under pressure from the barbarians of the north, was withdrawing to the south where the Song empire, thinking itself safe from invasions, continued to live a life of luxury.”
Frédéric, L. (1984). Daily life in Japan at the time of the samurai, 1185-1603. Tokyo: Tuttle.
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Louis Frédéric 4
French scholar 1923–1996Related quotes

The Foundations of Leninism

“China has lunged into the 21st century, while India is still lurching toward it.”
Steve Rattner https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/19/india-is-losing-the-race/, The New York Times, op-ed, 19 January 2013.

This quotation is useful for explanations of the period of art nouveau, and the causes of the art movement.
Confession d'un Enfant du Siécle (1836)(translation)
Source: How the Irish Saved Civilization (1995), Ch. VI What Was Found