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Daniel J. Boorstin

Daniel J. Boorstin Quotes

Historian

Daniel J. Boorstin was an influential American historian known for his research on historical writing and public knowledge. His work emphasized the connection between history and contemporary life, as well as the role of historians in shaping public consciousness.

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Famous Daniel J. Boorstin Quotes

“The variety of minds served the economy of nature in many ways. The Creator, who designed the human brain for activity, had insured the restlessness of all minds by enabling no single one to envisage all the qualities of the creation. Since no one by himself could aspire to a serene knowledge of the whole truth, all men had been drawn into an active, exploratory and cooperative attitude.”

Source: The Lost World of Thomas Jefferson

“The star is the ultimate American verification of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Emile. His mere existence proves the perfectability of any man or woman. Oh wonderful pliability of human nature, in a society where anyone can become a celebrity! And where any celebrity . . . may become a star!”

Men Humans May Stars Existence Wonderful Human Nature Prove Ultimate Mere Verification Jean Jacques Rousseau Jacques Rousseau

Author:Daniel J. Boorstin

“destruction is easy for humans but creation is too difficult.”

Humans Easy Difficult Creation Destruction

Author:Daniel J. Boorstin

“Human models are more vivid and more persuasive than explicit moral commands.”

Humans Moral Models Command Vivid Explicit Persuasive

Book:The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America

Source: The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America

“The hero is known for achievements; the celebrity for well-knowns. The hero reveals the possibilities of human nature. The celebrity reveals the possibilities of the press and media. Celebrities are people who make news, but heroes are people who make history. Time makes heroes but dissolves celebrities.”

People Humans Wells Known Media Human Nature Possibility Hero Achievement News Presses Well Known

Author:Daniel J. Boorstin

“The most promising words ever written on the maps of human knowledge are terra incognita, unknown territory.”

Humans Written Maps Territory Human Knowledge

Book:The Discoverers

Source: The Discoverers

“Throught human history, illusions of knowledge, not ignorance, have proven to be the principal obstacles to discovery”

Humans Ignorance Illusion Discovery Obstacles Principal Proven Human History

Author:Daniel J. Boorstin

“The American experience stirred mankind from discovery to exploration. From the cautious quest for what they knew (or thought they knew) was out there, into an enthusiastic reaching to the unknown. These are two substantially different kinds of human enterprise.”

Humans Kind Two Different Mankind Discovery Enterprise Reaching Exploration Different Kinds Quests Enthusiastic Cautious

Author:Daniel J. Boorstin

About the Author

Born: October 1, 1914
Died: February 28, 2004
Known for: Historian
Quotes: 127

Related Topics

World Men America Hero Knowledge Book Humans Illusion People Ignorance Way Wells Atheism Ifs Made Nations Persons Reading Thinking Facts

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in AmericaRelated source material

The DiscoverersRelated source material

The Lost World of Thomas JeffersonRelated source material

The ImageRelated source material

The Image or What Happened to the American DreamRelated source material

The Americans: The Democratic ExperienceRelated source material

The Creators: A History of Heroes of the ImaginationRelated source material

Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the UnexpectedRelated source material

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