Will Durant
Will Durant
William James "Will" Durantwas an American writer, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant, and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for The Story of Philosophy, described as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy"...
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth5 November 1885
bad believe slap
I just had to slap myself because this had to just be a bad dream. I just can't believe it.
dishonest ill integrity others praising speak
To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves.
excesses living street
We are living in the excesses of freedom. Just take a look at 42nd Street an Broadway.
confidence playing
We're going to get there. We're just not playing with any confidence right now. We got to get better and the only way we are going to get better is to keep playing.
infinity philosopher now-and-then
It is good a philosopher should remind himself, now and then, that he is a particle pontificating on infinity.
order knighthood chivalry
When his apprenticeship was finished (the candidate for Knighthood) was received into the Knightly Order by a ritual of sacramental awe...
writing childhood quality
Mozart began his works in childhood and a childlike quality lurked in his compositions until it dawned on him that the Requiem he was writing for s a stranger was his own.
tyrants today rebel
Today's rebel is tomorrow's tyrant.
men civilised
No man who is in a hurry is quite civilised.
trying pages fool
Only a fool would try to compress a hundred centuries into a hundred pages of hazardous conclusions. We proceed.
past understanding action
The present is the past rolled up for action, and the past is the present unrolled for understanding.
science law lessons
The laws of biology are the fundamental lessons of history.
character destiny personality
If you have character, endeavor, personality, courage and the capacity for concentrated labor, you will do what is your destiny – and, perhaps, even do it well.
men civilization earth
Man, not the earth, makes civilization.