ByQuotes

Will Durant Quotes

Powerful Will Durant for Daily Growth

About Will Durant

Will Durant (November 5, 1885 - March 7, 1981) was an American historian, philosopher, and author, renowned for his magnum opus "The Story of Civilization," a ten-volume set that spans human history from the earliest Sumerians to the modern era. Born in Racine, Wisconsin, Durant showed intellectual curiosity from an early age. He attended Johns Hopkins University and later the University of Berlin, where he studied under the influential philosopher Heinrich Rickert. Durant's philosophical leanings were largely influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, George Santayana, and Henri Bergson. Durant's career as an author began with "The Life of Plato" in 1926, which was followed by several other works on ancient philosophy. In 1935, he started collaborating with his wife, Ariel Durant, on "The Story of Civilization." The series, which took over four decades to complete, became a landmark in historical and philosophical scholarship. Durant's works were characterized by their broad scope, engaging style, and synthesis of diverse disciplines. He sought to provide a comprehensive understanding of human civilization, tracing its development from the earliest city-states to modern societies. His works remain influential for their insightful analysis of history, philosophy, and culture. In addition to his scholarly works, Durant was also an active public intellectual. He served as president of the American Humanist Association, advocated for social reforms, and was a vocal supporter of the arts. Will Durant's life and work continue to inspire scholars and intellectuals around the world.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"We are what we read."

This quote by Will Durant emphasizes that our knowledge, perspective, and ultimately, who we are as individuals, can be significantly shaped by what we choose to read. The books, articles, and other written works we consume serve as windows into different worlds, ideas, cultures, and experiences. Through reading, we absorb information, broaden our understanding, and develop our own thoughts and beliefs, thus shaping our personal growth and identity over time.

"History is the biography of time; the study of the past is the study of ourselves."

This quote underscores the idea that history, being a record of events in the past, mirrors our collective human experience over time. It suggests that by understanding history, we gain insights into the nature of humanity itself - its triumphs, failures, progressions, and regressions. In essence, to study history is to explore the evolution of ourselves as a species, thus providing valuable context for present-day society and potential guidance for the future.

"The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."

This quote by Will Durant suggests that Western philosophy, particularly in Europe, has been heavily influenced by the ideas and concepts presented by the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato. Over centuries, philosophers have built upon, debated, and expanded upon Plato's works, creating a rich tapestry of thought with him as a fundamental pillar. This quote underscores the enduring impact of Plato on Western intellectual history.

"Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them."

This quote by Will Durant emphasizes that progress in civilization occurs when humans develop habits, systems, or tools that allow us to automate complex tasks, freeing our minds for higher-level thought and creativity. In simpler terms, it suggests that as we find ways to perform more operations without conscious effort, we make room for greater advancements in our society and personal development.

"Science is organized knowledge, and wisdom is organized life."

This quote emphasizes that science represents systematic knowledge acquired through observation, experimentation, and analysis, whereas wisdom refers to living in a balanced and harmonious way, applying this structured knowledge to one's daily life. In essence, it encourages us to approach life with the same organization and discipline we apply in scientific pursuit, making informed decisions based on our understanding of the world around us.

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

- Will Durant

Ignorance, Discovery, Own, Education

Every vice was once a virtue, and may become respectable again, just as hatred becomes respectable in wartime.

- Will Durant

Hatred, May, Vice, Respectable

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.

- Will Durant

Always, A Good Thing, Dishonest

Every form of government tends to perish by excess of its basic principle.

- Will Durant

Principle, Perish, Form, Excess

Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

- Will Durant

Education, Sixty, Knew, Progressive

Woe to him who teaches men faster than they can learn.

- Will Durant

Learn, Faster, Teaches, Woe

If man asks for many laws it is only because he is sure that his neighbor needs them; privately he is an unphilosophical anarchist, and thinks laws in his own case superfluous.

- Will Durant

Laws, Needs, Sure, Superfluous

Our knowledge is a receding mirage in an expanding desert of ignorance.

- Will Durant

Ignorance, Expanding, Mirage

When liberty becomes license, dictatorship is near.

- Will Durant

Liberty, License, Near, Dictatorship

A statesman cannot afford to be a moralist.

- Will Durant

Afford, Cannot, Statesman, Moralist

Tired mothers find that spanking takes less time than reasoning and penetrates sooner to the seat of the memory.

- Will Durant

Mom, Memory, Less Time, Spanking

I am not against hasty marriages, where a mutual flame is fanned by an adequate income.

- Will Durant

Income, Mutual, Marriages, Flame

Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.

- Will Durant

Civilization, Subject, Notice

Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty and dies with chaos.

- Will Durant

Chaos, Begins, Grows, Order

One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say.

- Will Durant

Clever, Always, A Good Thing, Lessons

The political machine triumphs because it is a united minority acting against a divided majority.

- Will Durant

Against, United, Machine, Minority

Truth always originates in a minority of one, and every custom begins as a broken precedent.

- Will Durant

Broken, Always, Begins, Minority

The most interesting thing in the world is another human being who wonders, suffers and raises the questions that have bothered him to the last day of his life, knowing he will never get the answers.

- Will Durant

Questions, Answers, Another, Raises

As soon as liberty is complete it dies in anarchy.

- Will Durant

Liberty, Anarchy, Complete, Dies

There is nothing in socialism that a little age or a little money will not cure.

- Will Durant

Money, Will, Nothing, Socialism

Moral codes adjust themselves to environmental conditions.

- Will Durant

Environmental, Codes, Adjust

The love we have in our youth is superficial compared to the love that an old man has for his old wife.

- Will Durant

Love, Superficial, His, Old Man

History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice.

- Will Durant

Rest, Prejudice, Mostly, Guessing

Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art.

- Will Durant

Art, Science, Begins, Philosophy

Science gives us knowledge, but only philosophy can give us wisdom.

- Will Durant

Science, Give, Only, Philosophy

We are living in the excesses of freedom. Just take a look at 42nd Street and Broadway.

- Will Durant

Freedom, Living, Take, Excess

We Americans are the best informed people on earth as to the events of the last twenty-four hours; we are the not the best informed as the events of the last sixty centuries.

- Will Durant

Sixty, Informed, Centuries, Events

Bankers know that history is inflationary and that money is the last thing a wise man will hoard.

- Will Durant

Wise, Bankers, Hoard, Wise Man

The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds.

- Will Durant

Hope, Minds, Most, Hopes

Inquiry is fatal to certainty.

- Will Durant

Certainty, Fatal, Inquiry

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.