The lessons of history? There are four: The bee fertilizes the flower it robs; whom the gods would destroy they read more

The lessons of history? There are four: The bee fertilizes the flower it robs; whom the gods would destroy they first make mad with power; the mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small; when it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again.

We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again.

History is a pageant, not a philosophy.

History is a pageant, not a philosophy.

Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story.

Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story.

History shows that there are no invincible armies.

History shows that there are no invincible armies.

Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these.

Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these.

The past grows gradually around one, like a placenta for dying.

The past grows gradually around one, like a placenta for dying.

The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.

The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.

A man can be a hero if he is a scientist, or a soldier, or a drug addict, or a read more

A man can be a hero if he is a scientist, or a soldier, or a drug addict, or a disc jockey, or a crummy mediocre politician. A man can be a hero because he suffers and despairs; or because he thinks logically and analytically; or because he is "sensitive;" or because he is cruel. Wealth establishes a man as a hero, and so does poverty. Virtually any circumstance in a man's life will make him a hero to some group of people and has a mythic rendering in the culture -- in literature, art, theater, or the daily newspapers.