Hendrik Willem Van Loon
Hendrik Willem Van Loon
Hendrik Willem van Loonwas a Dutch-American historian, journalist, and award-winning children's book author...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
Date of Birth14 January 1882
CountryUnited States of America
ignorance thinking precious-possessions
Any formal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession - their ignorance.
years land long
High in the North in a land called Svithjod there is a mountain. It is a hundred miles long and a hundred miles high and once every thousand years a little bird comes to this mountain to sharpen its beak. When the mountain has thus been worn away a single day of eternity will have passed
yesterday understanding eras
The foundation for a new era was laid but yesterday. The human was given its first chance to become truly civilised when it took courage to question all things and made 'knowledge and understanding' the foundation upon which to create a more reasonable and sensible society of human beings.
leadership men vision
The world is in dreadful need of men who will assume the new leadership - who will have the courage of their own visions and who will recognise clearly that we are only at the beginning of the voyage, and have to learn an entirely new system of seamanship.
ignorance ignorant facts
An ignorant person is, by the very fact of his or her ignorance, a very dangerous person.
civilization sacred portal
Nature is rarely allowed to enter the sacred portals of civilized society.
world cases dilemma
In such a case the writer is apt to have recourse to epigrams. Somewhere in this world there is an epigram for every dilemma.
ignorance science prejudice
A few drops of science will often disinfect an entire barrel full of ignorance and prejudice.
darkness littles enough
It is little enough we know and the rest is darkness.