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Perhaps It Is One Secret Of Their Power That, Having Studied The Fluctuations Of Prices, The [bankers] Know That History Is Inflationary.
-Will Durant
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Perhaps It Is One

Will Durant
...
Perhaps It Is One Secret Of Their Power That, Having Studied The Fluctuations Of Prices, The [bankers] Know That History Is Inflationary.

Understanding the Quote: "perhaps it is one secret of their power that, having studied the..."

This quote by Will Durant reflects deeply on the theme of secret. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Secret, Bankers, Fluctuation, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how Will Durant interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About Will Durant

Will Durant is celebrated for insightful thoughts on secret and bankers. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

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Secret
Bankers
Fluctuation
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Power Dements Even More Than It Corrupts, Lowering The Guard Of Foresight And Raising The Haste Of Action.
Haste
Action
Foresight
Those Who Know Nothing About History Are Doomed Forever To Repeat It.
Forever
Repeats
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Civilizations Come And Go; They Conquer The Earth And Crumble Into Dust; But Faith Survives Every Desolation.
Dust
Civilization
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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.
Men
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History Is Always Repeating Itself, But Each Time The Price Goes Up.
As Long As There Is Poverty There Will Be Gods.
Long
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If A Man Is Fortunate He Will, Before He Dies, Gather Up As Much As He Can Of His Civilized Heritage And Transmit It To His Children.
Children
Men
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When Liberty Becomes License, Dictatorship Is Near.
Liberty
Dictatorship
License
Knowledge Is The Eye Of Desire And Can Become The Pilot Of The Soul.
Education
Knowledge
Eye
So Prominent Was The Jewish Role In The Foreign Commerce Of Europe That Those Nations That Received The Jews Gained And The Countries That Excluded Them Lost In The Volume Of International Trade.
Country
Europe
Roles
Tired Mothers Find That Spanking Takes Less Time Than Reasoning And Penetrates Sooner To The Seat Of The Memory.
Mother
Memories
Tired
Friends Are Helpful Not Only Because They Will Listen To Us, But Because They Will Laugh At Us; Through Them We Learn A Little Objectivity, A Little Modesty, A Little Courtesy; We Learn The Rules Of Life And Become Better Players Of The Game
Learning
Player
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Civilization Is A Stream With Banks. The Stream Is Sometimes Filled With Blood From People Killing, Stealing, Shouting And Doing The Things Historians Usually Record, While On The Banks, Unnoticed, People Build Homes, Make Love, Raise Children, Sing Songs, Write Poetry And Even Whittle Statues. The Story Of Civilization Is What Happened On The Banks.
Love
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And Last Are The Few Whose Delight Is In Meditation And Understanding; Who Yearn Not For Goods, Nor For Victory, But For Knowledge; Who Leave Both Market And Battlefield To Lose Themselves In The Quiet Clarity Of Secluded Thought; Whose Will Is A Light Rather Than A Fire, Whose Haven Is Not Power But Truth: These Are The Men Of Wisdom, Who Stand Aside Unused By The World.
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A History Of Civilization Shares The Presumptuousness Of Every Philosophical Enterprise: It Offers The Ridiculous Spectacle Of A Fragment Expounding The Whole. Like Philosophy, Such A Venture Has No Rational Excuse, And Is At Best But A Brave Stupidity; But Let Us Hope That, Like Philosophy, It Will Always Lure Some Rash Spirits Into Its Fatal Depths.
Philosophy
Philosophical
Civilization
Art Lies In Conceiving And Designing, Not In The Actual Execution' - This Was Left For Lesser Minds.
Art
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Liberty Is A Product Of Order.
Order
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Cultivate Your Garden… Do Not Depend Upon Teachers To Educate You … Follow Your Own Bent, Pursue Your Curiosity Bravely, Express Yourself, Make Your Own Harmony… In The End, Education, Like Happiness, Is Individual, And Must Come To Us From Life And From Ourselves. There Is No Way; Each Pilgrim Must Make His Own Path. "happiness," Said Chamfort, "is Not Easily Won; It Is Hard To Find It In Ourselves, And Impossible To Find It Elsewhere.
Teacher
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Grow Strong, My Comrade … That You May Stand Unshaken When I Fall; That I May Know The Shattered Fragments Of My Song Will Come At Last To Finer Melody In You; That I May Tell My Heart That You Begin Where Passing I Leave Off, And Fathom More.
Song
Strong
Fall
Knowledge That Does Not Generate Achievement Is A Pale And Bloodless Thing, Unworthy Of Mankind.
Achievement
Doe
Pale
We Are Living In The Excesses Of Freedom. Just Take A Look At 42nd Street And Broadway.
Freedom
Looks
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Which Is Now A More Hopeful Statement Than Swift Intended It To Be.
Funny
Hopeful
Aviation
The World Wisely Prefers Happiness To Wisdom.
Happiness
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Christianity Did Not Destroy Paganism; It Adopted It.
Paganism
Christianity
Adopted
History Repeats Itself In The Large Because Human Nature Changes With Geological Leisureliness.
Human Nature
History Repeats Itself
Repeating History
Most Of Us Spend Too Much Time On The Last Twenty-four Hours And Too Little On The Last Six Thousand Years.
Time
Years
Twenties
There Is No Significant Example In History, Before Our Time, Of A Society Successfully Maintaining Moral Life Without The Aid Of Religion.
Religion
Atheism
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Forget Mistakes. Forget Failure. Forget Everything Except What You're Going To Do Now And Do It. Today Is Your Lucky Day
Inspirational
Life
Positive
Knowledge Is Power But Only Wisdom Is Liberty.
Wisdom
Knowledge
Understanding
The Health Of Nations Is More Important Than The Wealth Of Nations.
Health
Exercise
Important
Hunting Is Now To Most Of Us A Game, Whose Relish Seems Based Upon Some Mystic Remembrance, In The Blood, Of Ancient Days When To Hunter As Well As Hunted It Was A Matter Of Life And Death.
Hunting
Blood
Games
Tolerance Grows Only When Faith Loses Certainty; Certainty Is Murderous.
Tolerance
Certainty
Grows
In Philosophy, As In Politics, The Longest Distance Between Two Points Is A Straight Line.
Philosophy
Distance
Two
The Greatest Question Of Our Time Is Not Communism Vs. Individualism, Not Europe Vs. America, Not Even The East Vs. The West; It Is Whether Men Can Bear To Live Without God.
Men
Europe
America
Rome Remained Great As Long As She Had Enemies Who Forced Her To Unity, Vision, And Heroism. When She Had Overcome Them All She Flourished For A Moment And Then Began To Die.
Rome
Long
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The Ego Is Willing But The Machine Cannot Go On. It's The Last Thing A Man Will Admit, That His Mind Ages.
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Men Decided That It Was Better To Pay Taxes Than To Fight Among Themselves; Better To Pay Tribute To One Magnificent Robber Than To Bribe Them All.
Fighting
Men
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What If It Is For Life's Sake That We Must Die? In Truth We Are Not Individuals; And It Is Because We Think Ourselves Such That Death Seems Unforgivable. We Are Temporary Organs Of The Race, Cells In The Body Of Life; We Die And Drop Away That Life May Remain Young And Strong. If We Were To Live Forever, Growth Would Be Stifled, And Youth Would Find No Room On Earth. Death, Like Style, Is The Removal Of Rubbish, The Circumcision Of The Superfluous. In The Midst Of Death Life Renews Itself Immortally.
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It Is One Of The Most Culpable Oversights Of Nature That Virtue And Beauty So Often Come In Separate Packages.
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Oversight
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The Past Is Not Dead. Indeed, It Is Often Not Even Past.
Past
Civilization Is The Order And Freedom Is Promoting Cultural Activity.
Order
Civilization
Promoting
Continue To Express Your Dissent And Your Needs, But Remember To Remain Civilized, For You Will Sorely Miss Civilization If It Is Sacrified In The Turbulence Of Change.
Civilization
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The Trouble With Most People Is That They Think With Their Hopes Or Fears Or Wishes Rather Than With Their Minds.
Honesty
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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.
Country
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Our Knowledge Is A Receding Mirage In An Expanding Desert Of Ignorance.
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A Statesman Cannot Afford To Be A Moralist.
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I Have Tried To Be Impartial, Though I Know That A Man's Past Always Colors His Views, And That Nothing Else Is So Irritating As Impartiality.
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Civilization Begins With Order, Grows With Liberty, And Dies With Chaos.
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Civilization
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Every State Begins In Compulsion; But The Habits Of Obedience Become The Content Of Conscience, And Soon Every Citizen Thrills With Loyalty To The Flag. The Citizen Is Right; For However The State Begins, It Soon Becomes An Indispensable Prop To Order.
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Order
Society
History Seldom Destroys That Which Does Not Deserve To Die; And The Burning Of The Tares Makes For The Next Sowing A Richer Soil.
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Read, Think Well Of Mankind, Go To Our Libraries And Rejoice.
Thinking
Library
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Contentment Is Rare Among Men As It Is Natural Among Animals
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An Emperor Knows How To Govern When Poets Are Free To Make Verses, People To Act Plays, Historians To Tell The Truth, Ministers To Give Advice, The Poor To Grumble At Taxes, Students To Learn Lessons Aloud, Workmen To Praise Their Skill And Seek Work, People To Speak Of Anything, And Old Men To Find Fault With Everything.
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Truth Will Not Make Us Rich, But It Will Make Us Free.
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The Victors Called The Revolution A Triumph Of Liberty; But Now And Then Liberty In The Slogans Of The Strong Means Freedom From Restraint In The Exploitation Of The Weak.
Strong
War
Mean
In Its Youth A People Produce Mythology And Poetry; In Its Decadence, Philosophy And Logic.
Philosophy
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Paul Created A Theology Of Which None But The Vaguest Warrants Can Be Found In The Words Of Christ.
Historical
Christ
Found
Can A Civilization Hold Together If Man Abandons His Faith In God?
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Men
Every Science Begins As Philosophy And Ends As Art; It Arises In Hypothesis And Flows Into Achievement.
Art
Philosophy
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Education Is A Progressive Discovery Of Our Own Ignorance.
Change
Graduation
Education
Civilization Exists By Geological Consent, Subject To Change Without Notice.
Change
Civilization
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A Cat Has A Reputation To Protect. If It Had A Halo, It Would Be Worn Cocked To One Side.
Cat
Halos
Would Be
As Knowledge Grew, Fear Decreased; Men Thought Less Of Worshiping The Unknown, And More Of Overcoming It.
Men
Overcoming
Grew
For You Will Sorely Miss Civilization If It Is Sacrificed In The Turbulence Of Change.
Civilization
Missing
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Nature Has Never Read The Declaration Of Independence. It Continues To Make Us Unequal.
Nature
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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.
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Order
Does History Warrant The Conclusion That Religion Is Necessary To Morality - That A Natural Ethic Is Too Weak To Withstand The Savagery That Lurks Under Civilization And Emerges In Our Dreams, Crimes And Wars? ... There Is No Significant Example In History, Before Our Time, Of A Society Successfully Maintaining Moral Life Without The Aid Of Religion.
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War
Civilization
In Progressive Societies The Concentration[of Wealth] May Reach A Point Where The Strength Of Number In The Many Poor Rivals The Strength Of Ability In The Few Rich; Then The Unstable Equilibrium Generates A Critical Situation, Which History Has Diversely Met By Legislation Redistributing Wealth Or By Revolution Distributing Poverty.
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Numbers
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There Is No Real Philosophy Until The Mind Turns Around And Examines Itself.
Philosophy
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A Great Civilization Is Not Conquered From Without, Until It Has Destroyed Itself From Within. The Essential Causes Of Rome's Decline Lay In Her People, Her Morals, Her Class Struggle, Her Failing Trade, Her Bureaucratic Despotism, Her Stifling Taxes, Her Consuming Wars.
War
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Historically The Belief In Heaven And The Belief In Utopia Are Like Compensatory Buckets In A Well: When One Goes Down The Other Comes Up. When The Classic Religions Decayed, Communistic Agitation Rose In Athens (430 B.c.), And Revolution Began In Rome (133 B.c.); When These Movements Failed, Resurrection Faiths Succeeded, Culminating In Christianity; When, In Our Eighteenth Century, Christian Belief Weakened, Communism Reappeared. In This Perspective The Future Of Religion Is Secure.
Christian
Rome
Perspective
In The Last Analysis Civilization Is Based Upon The Food Supply.
Civilization
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Lasts
To Seek, Beneath The Universal Strife, The Hidden Harmony Of Things.
Harmony
Strife
Universal
The Finger That Turns The Dial Rules The Air.
Air
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It Came To Me That Reform Should Begin At Home, And Since That Day I Have Not Had Time To Remake The World.
Change
Home
Political
Bankers Know That History Is Inflationary And That Money Is The Last Thing A Wise Man Will Hoard
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Men
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Man Is An Emotional Animal, Occasionally Rational; And Through His Feelings He Can Be Deceived To His Heart's Content.
Heart
Animal
Men
Truth Always Originates In A Minority Of One, And Every Custom Begins As A Broken Precedent.
Broken Heart
Truth
Minorities
The Great Snare Of Thought Is Uncritical Acceptance Of Irrational Assumptions.
Acceptance
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History Offers Some Consolation By Reminding Us That Sin Has Flourished In Every Age.
History
Age
Sin
When Liberty Destroys Order The Hunger For Order Will Destroy Liberty.
Wisdom
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We Are What We Repeatedly Do. Excellence, Then, Is Not An Act, But A Habit.
Inspirational
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All Deductions Having Been Made, Democracy Has Done Less Harm, And More Good, Than Any Other Form Of Government. It Gave To Human Existence A Zest And Camaraderie That Outweighed Its Pitfalls And Defects. It Gave To Thought And Science And Enterprise The Freedom Essential To Their Operation And Growth. It Broke Down The Walls Of Privilege And Class, And In Each Generation It Raised Up Ability From Every Rank And Place.
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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.
Knowing
Interesting
Suffering
Progress Is The Domination Of Chaos By Mind And Purpose, Of Matter By Form And Will. It Need Not Be Continuous To Be Real.
Real
Mind
Progress
Who Will Dare To Write A History Of Human Goodness?
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Moral Codes Adjust Themselves To Environmental Conditions.
Environmental
Morality
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[h]istory Assures Us That Civilizations Decay Quite Leisurely.
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Apathy
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The Failure Of The Reformation To Capture France Had Left For Frenchmen No Half-way House Between Infallibility And Infidelity; And While The Intellect Of Germany And England Moved Leisurely In The Lines Of Religious Evolution, The Mind Of France Leaped From The Hot Faith Which Had Massacred The Huguenots To The Cold Hostility With Which La Mettrie, Helvetius, Holbach, And Diderot Turned Upon The Religion Of The Fathers.
Religious
Father
House
Love One Another. My Final Lesson Of History Is The Same As That Of Jesus. You May Think That's A Lot Of Lollipop But Just Try It. Love Is The Most Practical Thing In The World. If You Take An Attitude Of Love Toward Everybody You Meet, You'll Eventually Get Along.
Life
Jesus
Attitude
Destroy It. There May Be A Redistribution Of The Land, But The Natural Inequality Of Men Soon Re-creates An Inequality Of Possessions And Privileges, And Raises To Power A New Minority With Essentially The Same Instincts As The Old.
Men
Land
May
I Feel For All Faiths The Warm Sympathy Of One Who Has Come To Learn That Even The Trust In Reason Is A Precarious Faith, And That We Are All Fragments Of Darkness Groping For The Sun. I Know No More About The Ultimates Than The Simplest Urchin In The Streets.
Darkness
Sun
Reason
Man Became Free When He Recognized That He Was Subject To Law.
Men
Law
Atheism
Every Form Of Government Tends To Perish By Excess Of Its Basic Principle.
Government
Principles
Excess
There Is Hardly An Absurdity Of The Past That Cannot Be Found Flourishing Somewhere In The Present.
Past
Flourishing
Found
History Reports That The Men Who Can Manage Men Manage The Men Who Can Manage Only Things, And The Men Who Can Manage Money Manage All.
Men
He Man
Manage
If I Were Rich I Would Have Many Books, And I Would Pamper Myself With Bindings Bright To The Eye And Soft To The Touch, Paper Generously Opaque, And Type Such As Men Designed When Printing Was Very Young. I Would Dress My Gods In Leather And Gold, And Burn Candles Of Worship Before Them At Night, And String Their Names Like Beads On A String.
Book
Eye
Night
Fundamentalism Is The Triumph Of Paul Over Christ.
Historical
Triumph
Christ
Often Your Face Is Your Autobiography
Faces
Your Face
Autobiography
Woe To Him Who Teaches Men Faster Than They Can Learn.
Education
Men
Woe
Education Is The Transformation Of Civilisation
Transformation
Civilisation
The Soul Of A Civilization Is Its Religion, And It Dies With Its Faith.
Civilization
Soul
Dies
India Was The Motherland Of Our Race And Samskrit The Mother Of Europe 's Languages...mother India Is In Many Ways The Mother Of Us All.
Mother
Race
Europe
Peace Is An Unstable Equilibrium, Which Can Be Preserved Only By Acknowledged Supremacy Or Equal Power.
Peace
Supremacy
Unstable
As Soon As Liberty Is Complete It Dies In Anarchy.
Liberty
Anarchy
Dies
By And Large The Poor Have The Same Impulses As The Rich, With Only Less Opportunity Or Skill To Implement Them
Opportunity
Skills
Rich
Philosophy Is Harmonized Knowledge Making A Harmonious Life; It Is The Self-discipline Which Lifts Us To Serenity And Freedom. Knowledge Is Power, But Only Wisdom Is Liberty.
Life
Freedom
Philosophy
India Will Teach Us The Tolerance And Gentleness Of Mature Mind, Understanding Spirit And A Unifying, Pacifying Love For All Human Beings.
Understanding
Tolerance
Mind
To Rulers Religion, Like Almost Everything Else, Is A Tool Of Power.
Tools
Rulers
All That Is Good In Our History Is Gathered In Libraries. At This Moment, Plato Is Down There At The Library Waiting For Us. So Is Aristotle. Spinoza Is There And So Is Kats. Shelly And Byron Adn Sam Johnson Are There Waiting To Tell Us Their Magnificent Stories. All You Have To Do Is Walk In The Library Door And The Great Company Open Their Arms To You. They Are So Happy To See You That They Come Out With You Into The Street And To Your Home. And They Do What Hardly Any Friend Will-- They Are Silent When You Wish To Think.
Plato
Home
Thinking
The South Creates The Civilizations, The North Conquers Them, Ruins Them, Borrows From Them, Spreads Them: This Is One Summary Of History.
Civilization
History
Ruins
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.
People
Twenties
Events
Never Mind Your Happiness; Do Your Duty.
Happiness
Mind
Action
The Fear Of Capitalism Has Compelled Socialism To Widen Freedom, And The Fear Of Socialism Has Compelled Capitalism To Increase Equality. East Is West And West Is East, And Soon The Twain Will Meet.
East
West
Socialism
Progress Is The Increasing Control Of The Environment By Life.
Progress
Environment
War Is One Of The Constants Of History, And It Has Not Diminished With Civilization Or Democracy.
War
Civilization
Democracy
Science Tells Us How To Heal And How To Kill; It Reduces Our Death Rate In Retail And Then Kills Us Wholesale In War; But Only Wisdom - Desire Coordinated In The Light Of All Experience - Can Tell Us When To Heal And When To Kill.
Wisdom
War
Light
It Is True That Even Across The Himalayan Barrier India Has Sent To The West, Such Gifts As Grammar And Logic, Philosophy And Fables, Hypnotism And Chess, And Above All Numerals And The Decimal System.
Philosophy
India
Chess
In The End, Nothing Is Lost. Every Event, For Good Or Evil, Has Effects Forever.
Evil
Forever
Events
Civilization Is Not Inherited; It Has To Be Learned And Earned By Each Generation Anew; If The Transmission Should Be Interrupted For One Century, Civilization Would Die, And We Should Be Savages Again.
Civilization
History
Savages
No Man Who Is In A Hurry Is Quite Civilized.
Success
Work
Men
Science Without Philosophy, Facts Without Perspective And Valuation, Cannot Save Us From Havoc And Despair. Science Gives Us Knowledge, But Only Philosophy Can Give Us Wisdom.
Philosophy
Giving
Perspective
Cultivate Your Garden. Do Not Depend Upon Teachers To Educate You... Follow Your Own Bent, Pursue Your Curiosity Bravely, Express Yourself, Make Your Own Harmony.
Teacher
Garden
Curiosity
If You Wish To Be Loved, Be Modest; If You Wish To Be Admired, Be Proud; If You Wish Both, Combine External Modesty With Internal Pride.
Love
Pride
Wish
Science Gives Us Knowledge, But Only Philosophy Can Give Us Wisdom.
Philosophy
Giving
If We Have Never Been Amazed By The Very Fact That We Exist, We Are Squandering The Greatest Fact Of All.
Facts
Squandering
Amazed
So The Story Of Man Runs In A Dreary Circle, Because He Is Not Yet Master Of The Earth That Holds Him.
Running
Men
Circles
The Political Machine Triumphs Because It Is A United Minority Acting Against A Divided Majority.
Political
Acting
Triumph
Even When Repressed, Inequality Grows; Only The Man Who Is Below The Average In Economic Ability Desires Equality; Those Who Are Conscious Of Superior Ability Desire Freedom, And In The End Superior Ability Has Its Way.
Men
Average
Desire
We Conclude That The Concentration Of Wealth Is Natural And Inevitable, And Is Periodically Alleviated By Violent Or Peaceable Partial Redistribution. In This View All Economic History Is The Slow Heartbeat Of The Social Organism, A Vast Systole And Diastole Of Concentrating Wealth And Compulsive Redistribution.
Views
Concentration Of Wealth
Economic History
Forced To Choose, The Poor, Like The Rich, Love Money More Than Political Liberty; And The Only Political Freedom Capable Of Enduring Is One That Is So Pruned As To Keep The Rich From Denuding The Poor By Ability Or Subtlety And The Poor From Robbing The Rich By Violence Or Votes.
Government
Political
Liberty
Those Who Have Suffered Much Become Very Bitter Or Very Gentle.
Bitter
Gentle
Nothing Is New Except Arrangement.
Writing
Creativity
Originality
The Concentration Of Wealth Is A Natural Result Of This Concentration Of Ability, And Regularly Recurs In History. The Rate Of Concentration Varies (other Factors Being Equal) With The Economic Freedom Permitted By Morals And Laws.
Law
Concentration Of Wealth
Politics
Communism Is The Opiate Of The People.
People
Opiates
Communism
The Dog That Buried The Bone Which Even A Canine Appetite Could Not Manage, The Squirrel That Gathered Nuts For A Later Feast, The Bees That Filled The Comb With Honey, The Ants That Laid Up Stores For A Rainy Day - These Were Among The First Creators Of Civilization. It Was They....who Taught Our Ancestors The Art Of Providing For Tomorrow Out Of The Surplus Of Today, Or Of Preparing For Winter In Summer's Time Of Plenty.
Summer
Dog
Art
To Speak Ill Of Others Is A Dishonest Way Of Praising Ourselves; Let Us Be Above Such Transparent Egotism. If You Can't Say Good And Encouraging Things, Say Nothing. Nothing Is Often A Good Thing To Do, And Always A Clever Thing To Say.
Clever
Way
Speak
Education Is The Transmission Of Civilization.
Education
Teacher
Teaching
Nature Smiles At The Union Of Freedom And Equality In Our Utopias. For Freedom And Equality Are Sworn And Everlasting Enemies, And When One Prevails The Other Dies.
Enemy
Unions
Utopia
The Institutional Church (ecclesia) Has Killed Only Two Kinds Of People: Those Who Do Not Believe In The Teachings Of Jesus Christ, And Those Who Do.
Jesus
Believe
Teaching
Underneath All Civilization, Ancient Or Modern, Moved And Still Moves A Sea Of Magic, Superstition, And Sorcery. Perhaps They Will Remain When The Works Of Our Reason Have Passed Away.
Moving
Sea
Civilization
Never Put A Man In The Wrong. He Will Hold It Against You Forever.
Men
Forever
To Say Nothing, Especially When Speaking, Is Half The Art Of Diplomacy.
Art
Communication
Half
In Constantinople, More Christians Were Slaughtered By Christians In The Years 342-343 Than By All The Persecutions By Pagans In The History Of Rome.
Christian
Religious
Rome
Human Progress Having Reached A High Level Through Respect For The Liberty And Dignity Of Men, It Has Become Desirable To Re-affirm These Evident Truths
Men
Progress
Liberty
Wherever Men Do Things, Other Men Will Arise Who Will Explain To Them How Things Should Be Done.
Men
Done
Arise
That A Few Simple Men Should In One Generation Have Invented So Powerful And Appealing A Personality, So Lofty Ethic, And So Inspiring A Vision Of Human Brotherhood, Would Be A Miracle Far More Incredible Than Any Recorded In The Gospels.
Christian
Jesus
Powerful
So I Should Say That Civilizations Begin With Religion And Stoicism: They End With Scepticism And Unbelief, And The Undisciplined Pursuit Of Individual Pleasure. A Civilization Is Born Stoic And Dies Epicurean.
Civilization
Stoicism
Pleasure
Civilization Is Social Order Promoting Cultural Creation. Four Elements Constitute It: Economic Provision, Political Organization, Moral Tradition, And The Pursuit Of Knowledge And The Arts. It Begins Where Chaos And Insecurity End. For When Fear Is Overcome, Curiosity And Constructiveness Are Free, And Man Passes By Natural Impulse Towards The Understanding And Embellishment Of Life.
Art
Men
Order
India Was The Motherland Of Our Race, And Sanskrit The Mother Of Europe's Languages: She Was The Mother Of Our Philosophy; Mother, Through The Arabs, Of Much Of Our Mathematics; Mother, Through The Buddha, Of The Ideals Embodied In Christianity; Mother, Through The Village Community, Of Self-government And Democracy. Mother India Is In Many Ways The Mother Of Us All.
Mother
Philosophy
Race
I Came To Think Of Myself, Not As A Dance And Chaos Of Molecules, But As A Brief And Minute Portion Of That Majestic Process
Thinking
Molecules
Majestic
To Give Life A Meaning, One Must Have A Purpose Larger Than Self.
Self
Giving
Meaning Of Life
A Civilization Is Born Stoic And Dies Epicurean.
Civilization
Stoic
Born
The Experience Of The Past Lives Little Doubt That Every Economic System Must Sooner Or Later Rely Upon Some Form Of The Profit Motive To Stir Individuals And Groups To Productivity. Substitutes Like Slavery, Police Supervision, Or Ideological Enthusiasm Prove Too Unproductive, Too Expensive, Or Too Transient.
Past
Rely Upon
Police
Inquiry Is Fatal To Certainty.
Learning
Acceptance
Science
The Time When You Need To Do Something Is When No One Else Is Willing To Do It, When People Are Saying It Can't Be Done.
Nature
Motivation
People
Nothing Is Often A Good Thing To Do And Always A Good Thing To Say.
Good Things
Good Communication
Spoken Word
Freedom And Equality Are Naturan Born Enemies.
Enemy
Born
Freedom And Equality
Drunkenness Was In Good Repute In England Till "bloody Mary" Frowned Upon It; It Remained Popular In Germany. The French Drank More Stably, Not Being Quite So Cold.
Drinking
Germany
England
We Teach More By What We Are Than By What We Teach.
Justice
Social Justice
Teach
Cultural Creation... Begins Where Chaos And Insecurity End.
Insecurity
Culture
Chaos
The Future Never Just Happened. It Was Created.
Inspirational
Motivational
Future
If Our Economy Of Freedom Fails To Distribute Wealth As Ably As It Has Created It, The Road To Dictatorship Will Be Open To Any Man Who Can Persuasively Promise Security To All.
Men
Promise
Revolution
Liberty Is A Luxury Of Security; The Free Individual Is A Product And A Mark Of Civilization.
Civilization
Luxury
Liberty
The Crossroads Of Trade Are The Meeting Place Of Ideas, The Attrition Ground Of Rival Customs And Beliefs; Diversities Beget Conflict, Comparison, Thought; Superstitions Cancel One Another, And Reason Begins.
Business
Ideas
Diversity
History Is Mostly Guessing; The Rest Is Prejudice.
History
Prejudice
Guessing
We Have Conferred A Mystic Popularity Upon Officials Whose Only Virtue Is Their Timidity; While Our Scorn Of Rebels And Reformers Is So Great That We Have Ceased To Persecute Them. The Capitals And Governments Of The World Are In The Hands Of Caution; And Change Comes Over Them Only In The Night, Unseen.
Night
Government
Hands
The Laws That Charondas Gave To Catana,... A Man Might Divorce His Wife, Or A Wife Her Husband, Said Charondas, But Then He Or She Must Not Marry Anyone Younger Than The Divorced Mate.
Husband
Divorce
Men
The Individual Succumbs, But He Does Not Die If He Has Left Something To Mankind.
Doe
Individual
Mankind
Time Sanctifies Everything; Even The Most Arrant Theft In The Hands Of The Robber's Grandchildren Becomes Sacred And Inviolable Property.
Grandchildren
Hands
Sacred
As To Harmonizing The Theory Of Evolution With The Biblical Account Of Creation, I Do Not Believe It Can Be Done, And I Do Not See Why It Should Be. The Story Of Genesis Is Beautiful, And Profoundly Significant As Symbolism: There Is No Good Reason To Torture It Into Conformity With Modern Theory.
Beautiful
Believe
Biblical
History Is So Indifferently Rich, That A Case For Almost Any Conclusion From It Can Be Made By A Selection Of Instances.
History
Rich
Made
How Much More Suffering Is Caused By The Thought Of Death Than By Death Itself.
Suffering
Thoughts Of Death
The Only Real Revolution Is In The Enlightenment Of The Mind And The Improvement Of Character, The Only Real Emancipation Is Individual, And The Only Real Revolutionists Are Philosophers And Saints.
Real
Character
Individuality
There Is Nothing In Socialism That A Little Age Or A Little Money Will Not Cure.
Money
Eugenics
Age
Sixty Years Ago I Knew Everything. Now I Know Nothing. Education Is A Progressive Discovery Of Our Own Ignorance.
Ignorance
Discovery
Years
The Love We Have In Our Youth Is Superficial Compared To The Love That An Old Man Has For His Old Wife.
Wedding
Men
Wife
Philosophy Begins When One Learns To Doubt -- Particularly To Doubt One's Cherished Beliefs, One's Dogmas And One's Axioms.
Philosophy
Doubt
Belief
From Barbarism To Civilization Requires A Century; From Civilization To Barbarism Needs But A Day.
Civilization
Needs
Century
Civilizaton Is The Interval Between Ice Ages.
Ice
Age
Ice Age
Perhaps It Is One Secret Of Their Power That, Having Studied The Fluctuations Of Prices, The [bankers] Know That History Is Inflationary.
Secret
Bankers
Fluctuation
There Have Been Only 268 Of The Past 3,421 Years Free Of War.
War
Past
Years
The Islamic Conquest Of India Is Probably The Bloodiest Story In History. It Is A Discouraging Tale, For Its Evident Moral Is That Civilization Is A Precious Good, Whose Delicate Complex Of Order And Freedom, Culture And Peace, Can At Any Moment Be Overthrown By Barbarians Invading From Without Or Multiplying Within.
Islamic
Order
Civilization
Music And Religion Are As Intimately Related As Poetry And Love; The Deepest Emotions Require For Their Civilized Expression The Most Emotional Of Arts.
Art
Emotional
Expression
Caesar's Armies Marched On Vegetarian Foods.
Army
Vegetables
Vegetarian
When Liberty Exceeds Intelligence, It Begets Chaos, Which Begets Dictatorship.
Liberty
Chaos
Dictatorship
Every Vice Was Once A Virtue, And May Become Respectable Again, Just As Hatred Becomes Respectable In Wartime.
Hatred
Vices
May
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