“History is not the story of heroes entirely. It is often the story of cruelty and injustice and shortsightedness. There are monsters, there is evil, there is betrayal. That's why people should read Shakespeare and Dickens as well as history ~~ they will find the best, the worst, the height of noble attainment and the depths of depravity.” PeopleShouldWellsBookStoriesEvilReadingWorstHeroDepthInjusticeBetrayalNobleMonstersCrueltyHeightAttainmentDepravityDickensBooks And Reading Author:David McCullough
“With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his tracks in the war. When I got there, there was a certain satisfaction in finding I had it right - it does look like that.” WorldLooksDoeBookWarCertainFindingsEuropeAccountsTrackSatisfactionWar Of The WorldsWorld War ITruman Author:David McCullough
“My next book is also set in the eighteenth century. It's about the Revolution, with the focus on the year 1776. It's about Washington and the army and the war. It's the nadir, the low point of the United States of America.” YearsBookWarStatesAmericaNextUnitedUnited StatesFocusCenturyRevolutionLowsArmyUnited States Of AmericaNadirLow Points Author:David McCullough
“On Christmas morning when I was a child, my mother would leave a book wrapped at the foot of the bed, which was a hint that Santa had come. It was also her way of keeping us in bed a little longer before we went downstairs. So I've always associated books with happiness and gifts. And they are. I can't get enough of them.” WayChildrenLittlesI CanBookEnoughMotherMorningFeetBedSantaHintsChristmas Morning Author:David McCullough
“Books can change your life. Some of the most influential people in our lives are characters we meet in books.” PeopleBookCharacterOur LivesChanging Your LifeInfluentialInfluential PeoplePeople In Our Lives Author:David McCullough
“Once I discovered the endless fascination of doing the research and of doing the writing, I knew I had found what I wanted to do in my life. Every book is a new journey. I never felt I was an expert on a subject as I embarked on a project.” WritingBookWantedFoundFeltJourneySubjectsProjectsResearchEndlessExpertsFascinationNew Journey Author:David McCullough
“To hold the reader's attention, you have to bring the person who's reading the book inside the experience of the time: What was it like to have been alive then? What were these people like as human beings?” PeopleHumansPersonsHas BeensBookReadingHuman BeingsAttentionAliveReader Author:David McCullough
“Read. Read. Read. Read. Read great books. Read poetry, history, biography. Read the novels that have stood the test of time. And read closely.” BookNovelTestsBiographiesGreat BookTest Of Time Author:David McCullough
“I feel that what I do is a calling. I would pay to do what I do if I had to. I will never live long enough to do the work I want to do: the books I would like to write, the ideas I would like to explore.” IfsWantFeelsWritingLongBookIdeasEnoughPayCalling Author:David McCullough
“There are innumerable writing problems in an extended work. One book took a little more than six years. You, the writer, change in six years. The life around you changes. Your family changes. They grow up. They move away. The world is changing. You're also learning more about the subject. By the time you're writing the last chapters of the book, you know much more than you did when you started at the beginning.” KnowsWorldWritingYearsLittlesBookProblemLastsMovingGrowsGrowing UpSubjectsSixOur FamilyChaptersLearning More Author:David McCullough
“One of the things about the arts that is so important is that in the arts you discover the only way to learn how to do it is by doing it. You can't write by reading a book about it. The only way to learn how to write a book is to sit down and try to write a book” WayWritingTryingArtImportantBookReadingDown And Author:David McCullough
“Every book is a new journey. I never felt I was an expert on a subject as I embarked on a project.” BookFeltJourneySubjectsProjectsExpertsNew Journey Author:David McCullough
“Nothing ever invented provides such sustenance, such infinite reward for time spent, as a good book.” BookInfiniteRewardsGood BookSustenanceTime Spent Author:David McCullough
“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.” BookReasonAgeStudySawsReason WhyNo Reason Author:David McCullough
“I'm very aware how many distractions the reader has in life today, how many good reasons there are to put the book down.” BookReasonTodayReaderMadnessDistraction Author:David McCullough
“Read. Read every chance you get. Read to keep growing. Read history. Read poetry. Read for pure enjoyment. Read a book called Life on a Little Known Planet. It's about insects. It will make you feel better.” FeelsLittlesBookReadingChanceKnownGrowingPlanetsPureEnjoymentFeel BetterInsectsBook Reading Author:David McCullough
“People often ask me if I'm working on a book. That's not how I feel. I feel like I work in a book. It's like putting myself under a spell. And this spell, if you will, is so real to me that if I have to leave my work for a few days, I have to work myself back into the spell when I come back. It's almost like hypnosis.” PeopleIfsFeelsBookRealAsksAsk MeSpellsHypnosis Author:David McCullough
“My shorthand answer is that I try to write the kind of book that I would like to read. If I can make it clear and interesting and compelling to me, then I hope maybe it will be for the reader.” IfsWritingTryingKindI CanBookAnswersInterestingClearReaderCompellingShorthand Author:David McCullough
