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Power dements even more than it corrupts, lowering the guard of foresight and raising the haste of action.

Will Durant

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Will Durant
Age: 96 †
Born: 1885
Born: November 5
Died: 1981
Died: November 7
Historian
Philosopher
Writer
North Adams
Massachusetts
William James Will Durant
William James Durant
Haste
Guard
Raising
Action
Power
Even
Lowering
Corrupts
Foresight

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Caesar's armies marched on vegetarian foods.
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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.
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How much more suffering is caused by the thought of death than by death itself.
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There have been only 268 of the past 3,421 years free of war.
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History is mostly guessing the rest is prejudice.
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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.
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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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If we have never been amazed by the very fact that we exist, we are squandering the greatest fact of all.
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To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy.
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Cultural creation... begins where chaos and insecurity end.
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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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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.
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Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.
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There is no real philosophy until the mind turns around and examines itself.
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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.
Will Durant
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Science gives us knowledge, but only philosophy can give us wisdom.
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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.
Will Durant
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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
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Knowledge is power but only wisdom is liberty.
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Progress is the domination of chaos by mind and purpose, of matter by form and will. It need not be continuous to be real.
Will Durant