Full Idea
Epochs of apogee cultivate values for their own sake: life is only a means of realising them; the individual is not aware of living - he lives.
Clarification
'apogee' is the highest point
Gist of Idea
At a civilisation's peak values are all that matters, and people unconsciously live by them
Source
E.M. Cioran (A Short History of Decay [1949], 3)
Book Reference
Cioran,E.M.: 'A Short History of Decay', ed/tr. Howard,Richard [Penguin 2010], p.115
A Reaction
This is a very Nietzschean thought. Mind you, a crazed and dangerous crowd exhibits the same absorption in simple values.