What does this phrase mean to you?

Question

"Civilization is the shell of an unhatched dragon's egg."

Answer 1

I think it means that civilization is the brittle prison that contains anarchy...... but, its becoming the anarchy that it seeks to contain

Answer 2

From civilization(the egg), something powerful can emerge.

Answer 3

civilization is keeping us good and moral.its stoping evil from hatching.  without it the dragon (our "true", evil selves) would hatch and all h**l would break loose.

i disagree with that phrase. i think that dragon hatched a long time ago and we named it civilization.

Answer 4

there's a dragon inside of the earth

Answer 5

...look out for china...they will influence tomorrow's lifestyle and commerce...

Answer 6

it means civilization has the potential to become something great and powerful

Answer 7

Maybe this could mean that there is a big barrier around civilization. For example: In todays society, the people are less sociable and less community spirited and although individualism is good in its own way, collectivism helps to unite people better in society and civilization. It could also mean too that there could be something major (the shell opening), waiting to happen, the way society is going at present...

Answer 8

The shell will eventually break when the mighty fire breathing dragon emerges.

Answer 9

as technology and consumption increases eventually there will come a point when it will turn around and bite you in the @ss.

Answer 10

the very basis of it's existence (power, structure, strength and growth) will be the very cause of its inevitable demise.

Answer 11

That the author loves imagery more than sense.

Answer 12

That civilization is containing or keeping "locked-up" a lot of unused potential...Or limiting the potential of it's individuals with bureaucratic rules and class systems.  

Answer 13

It means that it's a fragile barrier that can be broken at any point and allow great danger to emerge.

Answer 14

Civilization will ALWAYS break down.

The only way of stopping civilization breaking down is by destroying what resides in it first.

Answer 15

Probably that civilization had the potential to become something great and powerful and allmighty like a dragon but then it fell apart sometime along the way?

That's a really weird phrase by the way.

Answer 16

civilization keeps wild things calm and contained

Answer 17

P.554 Forms are valueless when lessons are learned. No chick may be had without the shell, and no shell is of any worth after the chick is hatched.

But sometimes error is so great that its rectification by revelation would be fatal to those slowly emerging truths which are essential to its experiential overthrow. When children have their ideals, do not dislodge them; let them grow.