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
clever way speak
To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves. Nothing is often a good thing to say, and always a clever thing to say.
education knowledge eye
Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul.
facts squandering amazed
If we have never been amazed by the very fact that we exist, we are squandering the greatest fact of all.
philosophy self discipline
Philosophy is harmonized knowledge making a harmonious life; it is the self-discipline which lifts us to serenity and freedom. Knowledge is power, but only wisdom is liberty.
life jesus attitude
Love one another. My final lesson of history is the same as that of Jesus. You may think that's a lot of lollipop but just try it. Love is the most practical thing in the world. If you take an attitude of love toward everybody you meet, you'll eventually get along.
civilization order liberty
Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty and dies with chaos.
distance philosophy two
In philosophy, as in politics, the longest distance between two points is a straight line.
country time people
It may be true that you can't fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country.
learning acceptance science
Inquiry is fatal to certainty.
change civilization existence
Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.
suffering thoughts-of-death
How much more suffering is caused by the thought of death than by death itself.
jesus powerful simple
That a few simple men should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty ethic, and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels.
stress discovery order
In my youth I stressed freedom, and in my old age I stress order. I have made the great discovery that liberty is a product of order.
change home world
It came to me that reform should begin at home, and since that day I have not had time to remake the world.