Joseph Joubert Quotes

In America nothing dies easier than tradition.

There is complete disdain for all that exists .... History, society, and the economics of present institutions are all minor issues in choosing a reform program ...

Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.

We have traditions, attitudes, an attachment to social welfare and even if change is desirable, we won’t accept change overnight.

I really don’t make history; I preserve it.

When it is not necessary to change, it is necessary not to change.

The earth always belongs to the living.

Some people like to reform everything they can get their hands on. Others want to fold away and worship whatever is presented to them by the caprice of history.

The desire to restore everything indiscriminately to its ancient condition is neither wise nor praiseworthy.

To this nation and to every nation there come formative periods in its life and history. New conditions can be met only by new methods. Meeting these conditions hopefully, and facing them bravely and wisely, is to be the mightiest test of American virtue and capacity. Without abandoning past limitations, traditions, and principles, by meeting present opportunities and obligations, we shall show ourselves worthy of the great trusts which civilization has imposed upon us.

I know that collector types can be a pain in the neck and seem perpetually frozen in time - or at least in their parents' basement - but someone has to look out for the past, lest it slip away forever.

I like places that have history in the sense of - you feel responsible to it.

If you plan on continuing a tradition, it might be a good idea to find out just what tradition it is that you intend to continue.

It is hardly an exaggeration to say that the progressive mind was characteristically a journalistic mind and that its characteristic contribution was that of the socially responsible reporter-reformer.

… ideas are structures built over time, each part added by a new generation.

The old order changeth, yielding place to new; And God fulfils himself in many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the world..

No degree of antiquity can give sanction to a usage bad in itself.

You re being handed a national treasure. Your main responsibility is that whenever you may leave it, it still remains a national treasure.

Stories are one of the means by which a culture preserves its identity.

Institutions are what allow us to have continuity in civilizations.

Retaining culture takes effort and persistence and discipline. It's a commitment, not a flag. You can't just pull it out and wave it about when it's convenient.

I'm not sure I want to preserve the old ways just for the sake of saying, 'I don't believe in change.'

Tradition matters. To me it's not a limiting force; it's a springboard.

What's really interesting to me is to have a connection to what was going on in the past, but to make it a living thing.