Will Durant Historian

Gender: Male
Citizenship: United States
Born: Nov 5, 1885
Died: Nov 7, 1981

William James Durant was 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, written in 1926, described as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy".

He conceived of philosophy as total perspective, or, seeing things sub specie totius, a phrase inspired by Spinoza's sub specie aeternitatis. He sought to unify and humanize the great body of historical knowledge, which had grown voluminous and become fragmented into esoteric specialties, and to vitalize it for contemporary application.

Will and Ariel Durant were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance. education

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. age & freedom

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

To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy. art

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

There have been only 268 of the past 3,421 years free of war. war

The family is the nucleus of civilization. family

Nature has never read the Declaration of Independence. It continues to make us unequal. nature

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

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

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

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. time

Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul. knowledge

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

History is mostly guessing the rest is prejudice. history

Education is the transmission of civilization. education

Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art. art & science

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

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

Civilization is the order and freedom is promoting cultural activity. freedom

Moral codes adjust themselves to environmental conditions. environmental

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

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. good

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

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