Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson
British journalist, author, and historian who edited the New Statesman and penned over forty works, including the 1959 novel, Left of Centre, and the 1997 non-fiction work, A History of the American People. He also wrote four works on art and architecture and two memoirs.
NationalityBritish
ProfessionJournalist
Date of Birth2 November 1928
lying outdated seeking
Wisdom lies not in possessing knowledge - which quickly becomes outdated - but in perpetually seeking it.
balance culture conflict
The richness and variety, and indeed the advance, of our culture depend upon the continuation of this conflict [between conservatives and radicals], which is deeply rooted in human nature.
life art dark
My grandfather used to say, "Learn to like art, music and literature deeply and passionately. They will be your friends when things are bad". It is true: at this time of year, when days are short and dark, and one hardly dares to open the newspapers, I turn, not vainly either, to the great creators of the past for distraction, solace and help.
family parent institutions
The most socially subversive institution of our time is the one-parent family.
america world mixtures
Scanning the newspapers and absorbing with a mixture of incredulity and indignation the enormities they report, I conclude that what England lacks today is, quite simply, sense.
beautiful children railroads
As a child I found railroad stations exciting, mysterious, and even beautiful, as indeed they often were.
men political obscurity
John Major is what he is: a man from nowhere, going nowhere, heading for a well-merited obscurity as fast as his mediocre talents can carry him.
august hell paradigm
To many, Heathrow in August is a paradigm of Hell.
strong book passion
This book is dedicated to the people of America--strong, outspoken, intense in their convictions, sometimes wrong-headed but always generous and brave, with a passion for justice no nation has ever matched.
meaningful today used
The word 'meaningful' when used today is nearly always meaningless.
writing lasts paper
The writer learns to write, in the last resort, only by writing. He must get words onto paper even if he is dissatisfied with them.
evil envy political
The urge to distribute wealth equally, and still more the belief that it can be brought about by political action, is the most dangerous of all popular emotions. It is the legitimation of envy, of all the deadly sins the one which a stable society based on consensus should fear the most. The monster state is a source of many evils; but it is, above all, an engine of envy.
intellectual tests feels
For me this is the vital litmus test: no intellectual society can flourish where a Jew feels even slightly uneasy.
luxury today universal
It takes less than a decade for today's luxury to become a universal necessity.