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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.

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
Civilization
Stoicism
Pleasure
Undisciplined
Dies
Scepticism
Religion
Stoic
Individual
Civilizations
Born
Unbelief
Ends
Pursuit
Begin
Epicurean

More quotes by Will Durant

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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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Communism is the opiate of the people.
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The health of nations is more important than the wealth of nations.
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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.
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Nothing is often a good thing to do and always a good thing to say.
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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.
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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.
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Truth always originates in a minority of one, and every custom begins as a broken precedent.
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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.
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Music and religion are as intimately related as poetry and love the deepest emotions require for their civilized expression the most emotional of arts.
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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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There is no real philosophy until the mind turns around and examines itself.
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Bankers know that history is inflationary and that money is the last thing a wise man will hoard
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by and large the poor have the same impulses as the rich, with only less opportunity or skill to implement them
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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.
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The political machine triumphs because it is a united minority acting against a divided majority.
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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.
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Education is the transmission of civilization.
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The world wisely prefers happiness to wisdom.
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There have been only 268 of the past 3,421 years free of war.
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