“History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up,' Voltaire reportedly said. The observation refers to the argument that fortunes of nations or civilizations or societies rise and fall based on the character of their people, and this character is heavily influenced by the material and moral condition of their society. The idea was a staple of history writing from ancient Greece until it began to decline in popularity after the middle of the twentieth century.”
Quote by Dan Carlin
Work
The End is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
You May Also Like
Source: Becoming
Source: The Portrait of a Lady
“Estranged and probably stubborn to a fault. I was my mother's son.”
Source: Want
“She has a sort of old-fashioned character that's passing away — a vivid identity.”
Source: The Portrait of a Lady
“She's beautiful, but I don't say she's easy to know." "Ah, she's a thousand and one things!”
Source: The Wings of the Dove
“A writer does not [and should not] always agree with what his characters say or do in the book!”