April 24, 2017, 07:42 AM
JALLENThought of the Day
I splurged and recently acquired "The Complete Story of Civilization" by Will and Ariel Durant after using one of his quotes as QOTD.
I've made it through Volume 1, "Our Oriental Heritage" and am plowing through Volume 2, "The Life of Greece." Here I encountered this:
quote:
The life of thought endangers every civilization that it adorns. In the earlier stages of a nation’s history there is little thought; action flourishes; men are direct, uninhibited, frankly pugnacious and sexual. As civilization develops, as customs, institutions, laws, and morals more and more restrict the operation of natural impulses, action gives way to thought, achievement to imagination, directness to subtlety, expression to concealment, cruelty to sympathy, belief to doubt; the unity of character common to animals and primitive men passes away; behavior becomes fragmentary and hesitant, conscious and calculating; the willingness to fight subsides into a disposition to infinite argument. Few nations have been able to reach intellectual refinement and esthetic sensitivity without sacrificing so much in virility and unity that their wealth presents an irresistible temptation to impecunious barbarians.
Around every Rome hover the Gauls; around every Athens some Macedon.
This work by the Durants is 11 Volumes, more than 11,000 pages, some of it stupifyingly dull, but much of it fascinating, and every now and then, some real gems.
"The only thing new in the workd is history you din't know." Harry S. Truman
April 24, 2017, 08:12 AM
joel9507Douglas Adams put it this way:
quote:
“The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question 'How can we eat?' the second by the question 'Why do we eat?' and the third by the question 'Where shall we have lunch?”
This is, of course, in his "Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy" which is anything but stupifyingly dull, albeit without much in the way of actual history.
April 24, 2017, 08:28 AM
rch73JALLEN: I am glad you are enjoying it. He has many delightful quotes scattered throughout. I learned something new in every volume.
April 24, 2017, 08:32 AM
DeqlynOnce a nation gets soft and comfy, it will lose. It may not be immediately but it is clearly apparent throughout history. I've been recently delving into pirate history and how did the world finally squash (the majority) of it? Through brute force. Hanging pirate after pirate destroying ship after ship. There were no negotiations and pardons didnt last long.
Struggle bears the greatest fruit in nature. There are millions of examples, two off the top of my head are tobacco and wine. Some of the best grapes and tobacco are grown in places that they shouldnt, the struggle brings out the best in them.
April 24, 2017, 11:21 AM
Sportshooterquote:
Struggle bears the greatest fruit in nature. There are millions of examples, two off the top of my head are tobacco and wine. Some of the best grapes and tobacco are grown in places that they shouldnt, the struggle brings out the best in them.
In other words, the strong oaks grow where the strong winds blow.
April 24, 2017, 11:39 AM
wishfull thinkerquote:
Originally posted by Sportshooter:
quote:
Struggle bears the greatest fruit in nature. There are millions of examples, two off the top of my head are tobacco and wine. Some of the best grapes and tobacco are grown in places that they shouldnt, the struggle brings out the best in them.
In other words, the strong oaks grow where the strong winds blow.
That is a great aphorism. I don't recall ever seeing that before and it just tells me there is more to learn. thanks for that.