Famous quotes containing the words history of, history, western, civilization, rise and/or empires:
“The greatest horrors in the history of mankind are not due to the ambition of the Napoleons or the vengeance of the Agamemnons, but to the doctrinaire philosophers. The theories of the sentimentalist Rousseau inspired the integrity of the passionless Robespierre. The cold-blooded calculations of Karl Marx led to the judicial and business-like operations of the Cheka.”
—Aleister Crowley (1875–1947)
“I cannot be much pleased without an appearance of truth; at least of possibility—I wish the history to be natural though the sentiments are refined; and the characters to be probable, though their behaviour is excelling.”
—Frances Burney (1752–1840)
“Pictures are for entertainment, messages should be delivered by Western Union.”
—Samuel Goldwyn (1882–1974)
“The writer in western civilization has become not a voice of his tribe, but of his individuality. This is a very narrow-minded situation.”
—Aharon Appelfeld (b. 1932)
“Nothing is so insufferable to man as to be completely at rest, without passions, without business, without diversion, without study. He then feels his nothingness, his forlornness, his insufficiency, his dependence, his weakness, his emptiness. There will immediately rise from the depth of his heart weariness, gloom, sadness, fretfulness, vexation, despair.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)
“The day of small nations has long passed away. The day of Empires has come.”
—Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914)