WednesdayFeb 25, 2026
Quotes: 53419 Authors: 9969
William James Durant (November 5, 1885 - November 7, 1981) was an American philosopher, historian, and writer. He is best known for his authorship and co-authorship with his wife Ariel Durant of The Story of Civilization .
Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art.
Education is the transmission of civilization.
The family is the nucleus of civilization.
Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
Our knowledge is a receding mirage in an expanding desert of ignorance.
Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty, And dies with chaos.
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.
Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.
One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say.
The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds.
To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy.
The future never just happened. It was created.
Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul.
The political machine triumphs because it is a united minority acting against a divided majority.
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.
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 revolutionaries are philosophers and saints.
Truth always originates in a minority of one, and every custom begins as a broken precedent.
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