Nothing is really real unless it happens on television. Daniel J. Boorstin More Quotes by Daniel J. Boorstin More Quotes From Daniel J. Boorstin America has been a land of dreams. A land where the aspirations of people from countries cluttered with rich, cumbersome, aristocratic, ideological pasts can reach for what once seemed unattainable. Here they have tried to make dreams come true. Yet now... we are threatened by a new and particularly American menace. It is not the menace of class war, of ideology, of poverty, of disease, of illiteracy, or demagoguery, or of tyranny, though these now plague most of the world. It is the menace of unreality. Daniel J. Boorstin dreamwarcountry Planning for the future without a sense of history is like planting cut flowers. Daniel J. Boorstin planningcuttingflower The hero was distinguished by his achievement; the celebrity by his image or trademark. The hero created himself; the celebrity is created by the media. The hero was a big man; the celebrity is a big name. Daniel J. Boorstin herosportsmen An image is not simply a trademark, a design, a slogan or an easily remembered picture. It is a studiously crafted personality profile of an individual, institution, corporation, product or service. Daniel J. Boorstin corporationsdesignpersonality Disagreement produces debate but dissent produces dissension. Dissent (which come from the Latin, dis and sentire) means originally to feel apart from others. People who disagree have an argument, but people who dissent have a quarrel. People may disagree and both may count themselves in the majority. But a person who dissents is by definition in a minority. A liberal society thrives on disagreement but is killed by dissension. Disagreement is the life blood of democracy, dissension is its cancer. Daniel J. Boorstin cancerlatinmean Our discontent begins by finding false villains whom we can accuse of deceiving us. Next we find false heroes whom we expect to liberate us. The hardest, most discomfiting discovery is that each of us must emancipate himself. Daniel J. Boorstin nextherodiscovery In America, communities existed before governments. There were many groups of people with a common sense of purpose and a feeling of duty to one another before there were political institutions. Daniel J. Boorstin governmentamericapeople The great obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents, and the oceans was not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge. Daniel J. Boorstin oceanignoranceknowledge A sign of celebrity is that his name is often worth more than his services. Daniel J. Boorstin dignitynamesfame There is no disinfectant like success. Daniel J. Boorstin success A best-seller was a book which somehow sold well because it was selling well. Daniel J. Boorstin sellingwellsbook The Christian test was a willingness to believe in the one Jesus Christ and His Message of salvation. What was demanded was not criticism but credulity. The Church Fathers observed that in the realm of thought only heresy had a history. Daniel J. Boorstin christianfatherjesus Reading is like the sex act - done privately, and often in bed. Daniel J. Boorstin bedreadingsex Where ruts have not yet been worn, it requires less effort to stay out of them. Daniel J. Boorstin worn-itrutseffort Human models are more vivid and more persuasive than explicit moral commands. Daniel J. Boorstin persuasivevividmoral Historians will not fail to note that a people who could spend $300 billion on defense refused to spend a tiny fraction of that total to keep their libraries open in the evening. Daniel J. Boorstin librarytinypeople As you make your bed, so you must lie in it. Daniel J. Boorstin bedpoliticslying I write to discover what I think. After all, the bars aren't open that early. Daniel J. Boorstin barswritingthinking The modern American tourist now fills his experience with pseudo-events. He has come to expect both more strangeness and more familiarity than the world naturally offers. He has come to believe that he can have a lifetime of adventure in two weeks and all the thrills of risking his life without any real risk at all. Daniel J. Boorstin reallifetravel Knowledge is not simply another commodity. On the contrary. Knowledge is never used up. It increases by diffusion and grows by dispersion. Daniel J. Boorstin commodityincreaseknowledge
