Will Durant Quotes
Do we really know what the past was, what actually happened, or is history “a fable” not quite “agreed upon”? Our knowledge of any past event is always incomplete, probably inaccurate, beclouded by ambivalent evidence and biased historians, and perhaps distorted by our own patriotic or religious partisanship. “Most history is guessing, and the rest is prejudice.”
See related quote for the source of the quotation in the last sentence.
Will Durant, “The Lessons of History” Simon & Schuster (August 21, 2012), originally published in 1968.
Countess of Blessington
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910. Every history writer has his/her prejudices based on his/her world view, upbringing, education, values, and culture. The best historians tend to understand this and try to be as objective as possible.
1st Earl of Oxford
Mary O’Grady is commenting on Venezuela as a perfect example of the failings of socialist policies in practice.
- Born: November 5, 1885
- Died: November 7, 1981
- Nationality: Russian, American
- Profession: Historian, Writer, Philosopher, Teacher
William James Durant was a Russian born, historian, and philosopher. He became best known for his work “The Story of Civilization,” and acclaimed 11 volume series written over 50 years in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant, and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for The Story of Philosophy (1926), described as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy". They were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1968 and in 1977, the Durants were presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
