If you get down about the state of American culture, just remember there are still more public libraries in this country than there are McDonalds.
David McculloughRead
It was a day and age that saw no reason why one could not learn whatever was required - learn vitally anything - by the close study of books.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the power of books as a means of acquiring any knowledge one desires.
David McCullough highlights an era where the pursuit of knowledge through books was not only possible but actively encouraged. It reflects the belief that through dedicated reading and study, individuals can gain expertise and understanding in any field, reinforcing the concept that curiosity and diligence can lead to mastery.
Themes
BooksKnowledgeLearningEducationWisdomStudy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used as a motivational statement during a seminar on lifelong learning.
More from David Mccullough
All quotes βThere is only one person who can measure your success. That person is you.
David McculloughRead
I just thank my father and mother, my lucky stars, that I had the advantage of an education in the humanities.
David McculloughRead
Napoleon could never imagine that some people loved their country as much as he loved his own.
David McculloughRead
When the founders wrote about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, they didn't mean longer vacations and more comfortable hammocks. They meant the pursuit of learning. The pursuit of improvement and excellence. In hard work is happiness.
David McculloughRead
Any nation that expects to be ignorant and free," Jefferson said, "expects what never was and never will be." And if the gap between the educated and the uneducated in America continues to grow as it is in our time, as fast as or faster than the gap between the rich and the poor, the gap between the educated and the uneducated is going to be of greater consequence and the more serious threat to our way of life. We must not, by any means, misunderstand that.
David McculloughRead
Similar quotes
Each day millions of children arrive in American classrooms in search of more than reading and math skills. They are looking for a light in the darkness of their lives, a Good Samaritan who will stop and bandage a bruised heart or ego.
Jim TreleaseRead
No adult can bear a childβs burden or grow up in his stead.
Maria MontessoriRead
I tell my students to try to know molecules, so well that when they have some question involving molecules, they can ask themselves, What would I do if I were that molecule?
George WaldRead
When you read a piece of writing that you admire, send a note of thanks to the author.
Sherman AlexieRead
Coming to the Bible through commentaries is much like looking at a landscape through garret windows, over which generations of unmolested spiders have spun their webs.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
All historians generalize from particulars. And often, if you look at a historian's footnotes, the number of examples of specific cases is very, very small.
Henry Louis GatesRead