Nothing is more satisfying than to write a good sentence. Barbara Tuchman More Quotes by Barbara Tuchman More Quotes From Barbara Tuchman Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they do not need citing; 2) excessive ambition, such as Athens' attempted conquest of Sicily in the Peloponnesian War, Philip II's of England via the Armada, Germany's twice-attempted rule of Europe by a self-conceived master race, Japan's bid for an empire of Asia; 3) incompetence or decadence, as in the case of the late Roman empire, the last Romanovs and the last imperial dynasty of China; and finally 4) folly or perversity. Barbara Tuchman ambition race war To rush in upon an event before its significance has had time to separate from the surrounding circumstances may be enterprising, but is it useful? ... The recent prevalence of these hot histories on publishers' lists raises the question: Should - or perhaps can - history be written while it is still smoking? Barbara Tuchman events smoking history That conflict between the reach for the divine and the lure of earthly things was to be the central problem of the Middle Ages. Barbara Tuchman conflict problem age In the United States we have a society pervaded from top to bottom by contempt for the law. Barbara Tuchman contempt united-states law When commerce with Moslems flourished, zeal for their massacre declined. Barbara Tuchman commerce massacres zeal Governments do not like to face radical remedies; it is easier to let politics predominate. Barbara Tuchman easier government faces Historians who stuff in every item of research they have found, every shoelace and telephone call of a biographical subject, are not doing the hard work of selecting and shaping a readable story. Barbara Tuchman telephones hard-work stories Nothing sickens me more than the closed door of a library. Barbara Tuchman closing-doors library doors Above all, discard the irrelevant. Barbara Tuchman irrelevant what-matters I have always been in a condition in which I cannot not write. Barbara Tuchman conditions writing Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled. Barbara Tuchman literature-history civilization book Business, like a jackal, trotted on the heels of war. Barbara Tuchman jackals heels war Human behavior is timeless. Barbara Tuchman human-behavior timeless behavior Theology being the work of males, original sin was traced to the female. Barbara Tuchman males female sin I have always felt like an artist when I work on a book. I see no reason why the word should always be confined to writers of fiction and poetry. Barbara Tuchman artist reason-why book No economic activity was more irrepressible [in the 14th century] than the investment and lending at interest of money; it was the basis for the rise of the Western capitalist economy and the building of private fortunes-and it was based on the sin of usury. Barbara Tuchman capitalist-economy usury sin I want the reader to turn the page and keep on turning to the end. Barbara Tuchman pages want writing Money was the crux. Raising money to pay the cost of war was to cause more damage to 14th century society than the physical destruction of war itself. Barbara Tuchman cost pay war When people don't have an objective, there's much less dynamic effort, and that makes life a lot less interesting. Barbara Tuchman effort people interesting Friendship of a kind that cannot easily be reversed tomorrow must have its roots in common interests and shared beliefs. Barbara Tuchman belief roots friendship
