“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
“I feel very strongly that history is about everything. It isn't just about politics or the military or social issues. If art, music, engineering, science, medicine, finance, the world of architecture and technology - if those are left out, then you're not getting a full sense of the human condition. History is human and we human beings are involved in all kinds of things and that's part of our humanity.” IfsWorldFeelsHumansKindArtHumanityLeftSocialHuman BeingsTechnologyIssuesConditionsMilitaryInvolvedMedicineArchitectureAll KindsFinanceVery StrongHuman ConditionEngineeringSocial IssuesLeft OutArt Music Author:David McCullough
“I feel that history is in many ways the most important of all subjects because it is about everything and because it's about who we are and how we came to be the way we are.” WayFeelsImportantSubjectsWho We Are Author:David McCullough
“My love is to tell a story but I like stories that evolve from character, from the nature of the individuals involved.” CharacterStoriesIndividualLove IsInvolvedEvolve Author:David McCullough
“History isn't just what happened, but what happened to whom and why and what would have been different if the cast of characters had been different.” IfsHas BeensDifferentCharacterHappenedCasts Author:David McCullough
“I must confess I've always had a couple of pinball machines in my home and really have enjoyed some of the old classics, like Fireball.” HomeCoupleMachinesEnjoyedPinball Author:Nolan Bushnell
“I love to go to the places where things happen. I like to walk the walk and see how the light falls and what winter feels like.” FeelsLightHappensFallWalksWinterThings Happen Author:David McCullough
“You have to get inside the people you are writing about. You have to go below the surface. And that's to a very large degree what all writers are doing - they're trying to get below the surface. Whether it's in fiction or poetry or writing history and biography. Some people make that possible because they write wonderful letters and diaries. And you have to sort of go where the material is.” PeopleWritingTryingFictionWonderfulMaterialsDegreesLettersSurfaceBiographiesDiariesBelow The SurfaceWriting History Author:David McCullough
“I don't pick my presidents because they were great presidents. I'm not much interested in ranking presidents and who is the best and who is the worst. I am much more inclined to be interested in them if they had an interesting life and if they were a complete person - and by that I mean they also had flaws and failings.” IfsMeanPersonsPresidentInterestingFailingWorstPicksFlawsRankingGreat PresidentsInteresting Life Author:David McCullough
“The most interesting people are never perfect.” PeoplePerfectInterestingMost Interesting Author:David McCullough
