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Events in the past may be roughly divided into those which probably never happened and those which do not matter. -- William Ralph Ing One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say. -- Will Durant Memories should impel a better world, not just recall the past one. -- Bill Purdin Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder. -- Arnold J. Toynbee We live in a time of transition, an uneasy era which is likely to endure for the rest of this century. During the period we may be tempted to abandon some of the time-honored principles and commitments which have been proven during the difficult times of past generations. We must never yield to this temptation. Our American values are not luxuries, but necessities - not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself. -- Jimmy Carter, in his farewell address. The young have aspirations that never come to pass, the old have reminiscences of what never happened. -- Saki It's a poor sort of memory that only works backward. -- Lewis Carroll Good historians, I suspect, whether they think about it or not, have the future in their bones. Besides the question: Why? the historian also asks the question: Whither? -- E.H. Carr |