"I have often studied, in my books, the active role of ideals in the lives of peoples. Nevertheless, I must return, as the present moment is mostly characterized by the struggle of opposing ideals. And indeed, against the old religious and political ideals whose power has waned, new ideals rise that deserve to replace them.

History teaches that a people, as long as it does not have common sentiments and interests, common beliefs, is nothing but a heap of individuals, without duration and without strength. The union of a race, which represents its transition from a barbaric state to civilization, is completed with the acceptance of a common ideal. Random conquests do not replace it.

The ideals capable of uniting the soul of a people are of various natures: the religion of Rome, the worship of Allah, the hope of paradise, etc. Their effectiveness as a means of action is the same once they have conquered the people. With an ideal acting upon their souls, a people thrive. Their decline begins when this weakens. The strength of Rome dates back to the time when the Romans ceased to respect their institutions and their Gods..."

Gustave Le Bon, 1923 Reprint of the 1945 edition.