Douglas Brinkley Quotes

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About Douglas Brinkley

Douglas Brinkley, born on July 8, 1962, is an esteemed American historian, professor, and public speaker. He was raised in Piedmont, Texas, where his passion for history was ignited by his family's stories of pioneering the American West. Brinkley earned his Bachelor's degree from Tulane University, followed by a Master's and Ph.D. from Harvard University. Brinkley has been a professor at Rice University since 2003, where he serves as the Katherine Tsan Ka Wong Professor in Humanities. He is also a CNN Presidential Historian and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. His works have explored various aspects of American history, with a particular focus on presidential history. Brinkley's major works include "The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast" (2006), which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction; "American Heritage: The American Presidency" (2015) with co-author H.W. Brands; and "Cokie: A Life Well Lived" (2019). He has also penned biographies on prominent figures such as President Theodore Roosevelt, President Eisenhower, and Neil Armstrong. Brinkley's influence extends beyond academia. He is a frequent commentator on historical events, offering insights during presidential elections and significant national events. His work seeks to educate the public about the past while providing context for current events. Douglas Brinkley continues to shape the narrative of American history with his comprehensive and engaging writing style.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"History is a vast early warning system."

This quote by Douglas Brinkley suggests that studying history provides valuable insights about past events, lessons learned, and mistakes made. The idea is that by understanding our history, we can identify patterns, trends, and potential dangers that may repeat themselves in the future. In essence, history acts as a "vast early warning system," alerting us to potential risks or problems that we might otherwise overlook or underestimate if we do not learn from past experiences. It encourages us to be proactive rather than reactive when facing similar situations in our present and future.

"The test of leadership is not rising with the tides, it's learning to endure the storm."

This quote by Douglas Brinkley emphasizes that true leadership isn't just about riding the waves of success (rising with the tides), but also about facing adversity (enduring the storm). It suggests that a great leader demonstrates resilience, grit, and wisdom in navigating through challenging times. In other words, real leaders are measured by their ability to lead effectively during difficult periods rather than just in times of ease or prosperity.

"We are the sum total of our memories."

This quote by Douglas Brinkley emphasizes that our personal identity is a compilation of our experiences, learnings, and recollections - essentially, our memories. Our memories shape us into who we are today, influencing our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and decisions. They define our perspective on life, our values, beliefs, and even our relationships with others. So, in essence, this quote underscores the powerful role that our memories play in creating our unique identities as individuals.

"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." - Theodore Roosevelt

This quote emphasizes the power of courage to inspire and embolden others. By displaying bravery in the face of adversity, an individual can serve as a catalyst for others to stand up for what they believe in and face their own challenges with greater confidence. Courage is not only a personal virtue but also a means to foster collective strength and resilience in society.

(often attributed to Douglas Brinkley)

The quote, often attributed to Douglas Brinkley, emphasizes the need for historical perspective in understanding current events. It suggests that we should learn from history to avoid repeating past mistakes and to make informed decisions about our future. In essence, it underscores the importance of studying history as a means to shape a better tomorrow.

"The past is prologue – the past guides us to our future."

This quote suggests that understanding history, or "the past," provides valuable insights and lessons that can guide us in shaping our future. The knowledge we gain from examining previous events, decisions, and actions helps us make informed choices and avoid repeating mistakes. It also implies that the past sets the stage for what will come next, serving as a kind of preamble or introduction to the future.

It's very important that we keep these special, wild places. It defines the United States. Imagine our country without our national parks and our monuments. Here in California, imagine if you didn't have in Southern Cal the Channel Islands or the great Highway 1, Big Sur up to Point Reyes up to the Redwood country.

- Douglas Brinkley

Country, Here, Very, Monuments

For Dylan, it seems, life is always the next gig. Changing pace and location are essential to his survival as an artist.

- Douglas Brinkley

Artist, Next, Always, Gig

I was only 8 years old on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong, 38-year-old commander of 'Apollo 11,' descended the cramped lunar module Eagle's ladder with hefty backpack and bulky spacesuit to become the first human on the moon.

- Douglas Brinkley

Only, Years, Commander, Armstrong

For years, I longed to hear Armstrong describe what it was like to contemplate Earth from 238,900 miles away. Former Space Center director George Abbey once told me that many NASA astronauts felt that looking at Earth was akin to a religious experience.

- Douglas Brinkley

Away, Religious, Astronauts, Armstrong

To Armstrong, constantly speaking about 'Apollo 11' only diminished the magic. That's why he worked overtime to avoid notice, living a quiet life in Indian Hill, Ohio.

- Douglas Brinkley

Magic, Living, Quiet Life, Armstrong

What I was most curious about was why Armstrong, a top U.S. Navy test pilot, flying the most advanced aircraft in the world, would want to join the astronaut corps in 1962, which included chimpanzees and monkeys.

- Douglas Brinkley

Navy, About, Advanced, Armstrong

John Kerry had a very vivid imagination as a young person. I mean, he actually did go and take his bicycle from Norway to go camp in Sherwood Forest to be around the ghost of Robin Hood.

- Douglas Brinkley

Forest, Bicycle, Very, Norway

When I was 8 years old, I made my own encyclopedia of American biography - Johnny Appleseed, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Charles Lindbergh, my pantheon of favorite heroes. Then I would write my own things and sew them together and try to make my own book.

- Douglas Brinkley

Book, Own, Charles, Sew

It's Nixon who created the Environmental Protection Agency. Clean Air and Water Acts. Endangered Species Act. Promoted affirmative action. One could go on and on with Nixon as a New Deal liberal on domestic policy and a hawk, but one with great geo-political skills.

- Douglas Brinkley

Deal, Endangered Species, Domestic Policy

While the scars of the monstrous Civil War still remain, the wounds have closed since 1865, in large part, because of the civility of Grant and Lee.

- Douglas Brinkley

Civil War, Wounds, Still, Monstrous

Truman has become the patron saint of failed presidents because he left office with a 27 percent approval rating, and people were saying, 'To err is Truman,' yet look at what he did: the Marshall Plan, the creation of NATO, the Truman Doctrine.

- Douglas Brinkley

Office, Rating, Presidents, Patron

How one deals with the death of a loved one is a highly personalized affair. Some people weep for days; others take a hike in the woods or count rosary beads.

- Douglas Brinkley

Death, Woods, Some, Personalized

It is a long revisionist road up from the bottom for George W. Bush. He is ranked toward the bottom rung of presidents.

- Douglas Brinkley

Bottom, George W. Bush, Bush, Rung

If D-Day - the greatest amphibious operation ever undertaken - failed, there would be no going back to the drawing board for the Allies. Regrouping and attempting another massive invasion of German-occupied France even a few months later in 1944 wasn't an option.

- Douglas Brinkley

Back, Another, Later, Operation

We can only imagine the history of the free world today if, at the end of the Civil War, there had been two countries: the United States and the Confederate States of America.

- Douglas Brinkley

Civil War, United States, Confederate

I'm not a historian who thinks Confederate memorials should be boarded up.

- Douglas Brinkley

Should, Memorials, Historian, Confederate

Her continuity - you know, if you connect Harriet Tubman, who died in 1913, to Rosa Parks, born in 1913, you get this extraordinary spectrum of the African-American experience.

- Douglas Brinkley

Experience, Born, Died, Continuity

The Rough Riders brought honor to San Antonio by winning battles in Cuba throughout the summer of 1898, and Roosevelt became a Texas folk hero overnight.

- Douglas Brinkley

Rough, San, Became, San Antonio

Although Cronkite had once crash landed in a Dutch potato field under enemy fire, he chose instead to focus on celebrating the liberation of the Netherlands at the hands of the Free Dutch.

- Douglas Brinkley

Focus, Hands, Netherlands, Liberation

Reagan was a pure liberation, free-and-fair election American.

- Douglas Brinkley

Election, American, Reagan, Liberation

Having recorded his first album, 'Tapestry,' in 1969, in Berkeley, California, during the student riots, McLean, a native New Yorker, became a kind of weather vane for what he called the 'generation lost in space.'

- Douglas Brinkley

Student, Became, New Yorker, Riots

The D-Day moniker wasn't invented for the Allied invasion. The same name had been attached to the date of every planned offensive of World War II. It was first coined during World War I, at the U.S. attack at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, in France in 1918.

- Douglas Brinkley

Date, World War I, Been, Allied

Unfortunately, one of the biggest misperceptions the American public harbors is that Katrina was a week-long catastrophe. In truth, it's better to view it as an era.

- Douglas Brinkley

American, Misperceptions, Harbors

The superhighway of celebrity and showmanship is filled with debris.

- Douglas Brinkley

Celebrity, Debris, Filled, Showmanship

John Kerry only went to prep schools because he had an aunt who had the money to pay for his way into those prep schools.

- Douglas Brinkley

Pay, Had, John Kerry, Aunt

In 2012, the city of Austin erected an eight-foot-tall bronze statue of Willie Nelson in the heart of the business district. Schoolchildren, churchgoers, tourists, slackers, conventioneers, tech geeks - everybody, it seems - now congregate around this ponytailed shrine to outlaw country.

- Douglas Brinkley

City, Country, Everybody, Schoolchildren

The Edmund Pettus Bridge - which in 2013 was declared a National Historic Landmark - isn't symbolic of the Civil War in a meaningful way. It is, however, the modern-day battlefield where the voting rights movement was born.

- Douglas Brinkley

Voting, However, Modern-Day, Meaningful Way

As a composer, Dylan now fits comfortably alongside George Gershwin or Irving Berlin, though he grumpily refuses to wear any man's collar.

- Douglas Brinkley

Collar, Alongside, Though, Gershwin

When terrorists blew up the Marine barracks in Lebanon, Reagan was frustrated and furious, as Bush was after 9/11. But he didn't stick us in a war in the Middle East with no exit.

- Douglas Brinkley

Middle, Reagan, Frustrated, Blew

One thing 'not right' on the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches is the sad fact that the Edmund Pettus Bridge hasn't been renamed the John Lewis Bridge.

- Douglas Brinkley

Fact, Been, One Thing, Lewis

Influenced by Pete Seeger and the Weavers, McLean proudly wore the mantle of troubadour in the early 1970s, when 'American Pie' topped the Billboard charts, and has never shed the cape.

- Douglas Brinkley

Shed, Charts, American Pie, Billboard

There were three Selma-to-Montgomery marches in March 1965, and Rosa Parks had missed the first one. Parks, whose act of civil disobedience sparked the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, moved to Detroit two years later for safety reasons.

- Douglas Brinkley

Bus, Civil Disobedience, Disobedience

Broadcast radio was entering its own golden age during the Depression, with live programming on stations all through the day. Local stations needed singers, musicians, announcers, and whipcord personalities, along with Christian clergy to give prayers and pundits to speak on world affairs.

- Douglas Brinkley

Through, Needed, Broadcast, Golden Age

Nixon was always willing to be bipartisan, so there are a lot of surprises in the man.

- Douglas Brinkley

Always, Lot, Nixon, Surprises

Ever since Willie Nelson brought rednecks into an alliance with hippies back in the psychedelic '70s, Austin has milked its quirky libertarian spirit for a worldwide bonanza of free publicity.

- Douglas Brinkley

Alliance, Brought, Willie, Libertarian

Administration policies seem to tacitly encourage those who live below sea level in New Orleans to relocate permanently, to leave the dangerous water's edge for more prosperous inland cities such as Shreveport or Baton Rouge.

- Douglas Brinkley

Policies, Administration, Baton

While the old spiritual 'Slavery Chain Done Broke at Last' was sung by blacks in the hours following the Appomattox surrender, racism sadly continues to be a crippling national scourge.

- Douglas Brinkley

Hours, Chain, Sadly, Crippling

Stubbornness is a positive quality of presidential leadership - if you're right about what you're stubborn about.

- Douglas Brinkley

Leadership, Stubborn, About, Presidential

New Orleans is just a microcosm of Newark and Detroit and hundreds of other troubled urban locales.

- Douglas Brinkley

New, Microcosm, Newark, New Orleans

The answer to New Orleans's levee woes is painfully obvious: money and willpower.

- Douglas Brinkley

New, Answer, Woes, Orleans

President Abraham Lincoln never lost his ardor for the United States to remain united during the Civil War.

- Douglas Brinkley

Civil War, United States, Ardor

The world of high-stakes international diplomacy can be rough and tumble, but it's more often than not a procession of suits and summits, protocol sessions and photo ops.

- Douglas Brinkley

More, Rough, Photo, Protocol

Knievel seemed braver and more brazen - and more unhinged - than any other athlete-cum-thrill-seeker of his era.

- Douglas Brinkley

Other, His, Seemed, Braver

February was always the cruelest month for Hunter S. Thompson. An avid NFL fan, Hunter traditionally embraced the Super Bowl in January as the high-water mark of his year.

- Douglas Brinkley

Year, Always, February, January

Some presidents, such as Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy, are political sailors - they tack with the wind, reaching difficult policy objectives through bipartisan maneuvering and pulse-taking.

- Douglas Brinkley

Through, Some, Bill Clinton, Wind

Politicians wanted to mine the Grand Canyon for zinc and copper, and Theodore Roosevelt said, 'No.'

- Douglas Brinkley

Theodore Roosevelt, Mine, Canyon

John Kerry wants to be the hero in his own drama. He likes King Arthur and the Round Table. He likes the young swashbuckling Churchill, and he loved the early antics of Theodore Roosevelt.

- Douglas Brinkley

King, Young, Arthur, None

Theodore Roosevelt had been enthralled with the idea of Texas since 1883, when he arrived in the Dakota Territory to ranch cattle.

- Douglas Brinkley

Idea, Been, Dakota, None

When we settled our country, the dark forest was considered in some ways evil and something that you needed to plow or, later, bulldoze. We now have a new understanding of the interconnectedness of ecosystems and the need for bird flyways and why all species matter.

- Douglas Brinkley

Forest, Country, Some, Ecosystems

John Kerry doesn't think in terms of black-and-white. He's all gray, and he looks at all sides of the issues. That makes people think he likes to be devil's advocate. Whatever you say, he'll challenge you on.

- Douglas Brinkley

Think, Makes, John Kerry, Black-And-White

Walter Cronkite had a golden rule for all wartime reporters: never self-aggrandize.

- Douglas Brinkley

Never, Golden, Reporters, Wartime

In 1971, near the middle of Nixon's first term, he approved a plan to install a White House taping system as a way of preserving an accurate chronicle of important discussions and decisions. Except for Nixon, three aides, and the Secret Service, no one knew about the listening devices.

- Douglas Brinkley

Nixon, Accurate, Discussions, Taping

There is no real way to categorize McLean's 'American Pie' for its hybrid of modern poetry and folk ballad, beer-hall chant and high-art rock.

- Douglas Brinkley

Modern Poetry, Chant, Ballad

I was stunned to find out there had never been a serious, scholarly biography ever written on Rosa Parks.

- Douglas Brinkley

Biography, Been, Had, Scholarly

Demeanor-wise, Reagan was a conservative, but a pragmatic conservative, and he found silver linings in things. He liked to be a mediator. He didn't like to have enemies around him.

- Douglas Brinkley

Conservative, Like, Reagan, Pragmatic

What makes 'American Pie' so unusual is that it isn't a relic from the counterculture but a talisman, which, like a sacred river, keeps bringing joy to listeners everywhere. When 'American Pie' suddenly is played on a jukebox or radio, it's almost impossible not to sing along.

- Douglas Brinkley

Impossible, Relic, Almost, American Pie

With the newspapers cheering, Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt chose a top-notch regiment of more than 1,250 men. They were first called Teddy's Texas Tarantulas and went through three or four other monikers until Roosevelt's Rough Riders stuck.

- Douglas Brinkley

Through, Other, Rough, Cheering

President Obama had a few historians at the White House for a couple of dinners. I was lucky enough to be one of those asked, and he was very interested in Ronald Reagan, and I came away feeling that.

- Douglas Brinkley

Lucky, Very, Couple, Dinners

The Middle East is the tinder box of the world, and to be able to remove a nuclear threat of any kind out of Iran, that would have been a big deal, very positive step forward.

- Douglas Brinkley

Big, Been, Very, Remove

Usually, one day in a century rises above the others as an accepted turning point or historic milestone. It becomes the climactic day, or 'the day,' of that century.

- Douglas Brinkley

One Day, Historic, Accepted, Rises

One of the things I learned in editing 'The Reagan Diaries' is to never say what Reagan would do, because he surprised people.

- Douglas Brinkley

Reagan, One Of The Things, Surprised

Everybody trusted Cronkite because he reminded them of their favorite uncle or trusted family physician. Being square in the age of the Beatles made Cronkite retro cool.

- Douglas Brinkley

Uncle, Made, Everybody, Physician

If you're a Kennedy and you go to Italy or you go to Argentina, you're treated as royalty. And in the United States, we're endlessly fascinated by the family.

- Douglas Brinkley

Treated, United States, Argentina

There is nobody that's ever going to fill Ted Kennedy's shoes, and that's a tall order for somebody in the family to try to live up to.

- Douglas Brinkley

Shoes, Going, Fill, Tall

Reagan never cottoned to dictators. He was pure in this notion in a true belief that democracy was the best solution in the world because it spoke to people's hopes and dreams and aspirations, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of speech.

- Douglas Brinkley

Spoke, Freedom Of Religion, Aspirations

The very fact that Barack Obama - an African-American - was twice elected to the presidency will always be the lead line in that hard-to-meld, gold-plated paragraph.

- Douglas Brinkley

Always, Very, Paragraph, None

Nobody has trusted the Iranian government from day one, but the idea of just refusing to have any kind of talks is dangerous in the extreme. Every administration says at least that we're trying to have talks between Israel and Palestine and solve the Middle East peace problem.

- Douglas Brinkley

Idea, Refusing, Iranian, Trusted

I think there's a green side to John Kerry, if you like, that he's an environmental activist. His record on the environment is as best as you have on a pro-environment record of anybody in the U.S. Senate.

- Douglas Brinkley

Think, Side, Activist, U.S. Senate

Richard Kerry not only was a pilot in World War II, but was a civil servant. He did not come from money.

- Douglas Brinkley

War, Richard, Civil Servant, World War II

I think, along with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks will go down as one of the two most well-known and remembered figures out of the Civil Rights Movement.

- Douglas Brinkley

Down, I Think, Martin Luther, Luther

John Kerry can be absolutely ruthless. I would not want to be on his enemies list when he's ready to go after you.

- Douglas Brinkley

Want, Go, John Kerry, Ruthless

History chalks up Mr. McKinley's War as a U.S. win, and he also polls favorably as a 'near great' president.

- Douglas Brinkley

War, Mr, Also, Near

If Reagan had intelligence information that showed that the upheaval in Egypt is actually Democratic in spirit, then he would have, I believe, turned his back on Mubarak, even though there's a long friendship between the United States and Egypt.

- Douglas Brinkley

Friendship, Reagan, Turned, Intelligence Information

I'm not a partisan.

- Douglas Brinkley

Partisan

Rosa Parks' entire career has been one as working as a civil rights activist.

- Douglas Brinkley

Career, Been, Activist, Civil Rights

In Austin, the eco-capital of Texas, residents tend to favor native plants and wildflowers to the sculpted lawns of the Palm Springs variety.

- Douglas Brinkley

Texas, Palm, Springs, Residents

The myth-making about Appomattox started from the moment Lee left the courthouse on his horse to travel to Richmond.

- Douglas Brinkley

Started, About, Lee, Richmond

Now I'm the father of three children; I'm not able to go live on a bus and do semesters around the country like I did when I was young.

- Douglas Brinkley

Young, Country, Like, Bus

Animals interest me more than anything else.

- Douglas Brinkley

Interest, More, Else, Animals

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