Lewis H. Lapham - History Quotes

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To acknowledge the truth of the old Arab proverb that says we have less reason to fear what might happen tomorrow than to beware what happened yesterday is also to say that we have more reason to look to the past — history as the phoenix in the attic — for the hope of the future.

Lewis H. Lapham

We have nothing else with which to build the future except the lumber of the past — history exploited as a natural resource and applied technology, telling us that the story painted on the old walls and printed in the old books is also our own.

Lewis H. Lapham

At this late stage in the history of American capitalism I'm not sure I know how much testimony still needs to be presented to establish the relation between profit and theft.

Lewis H. Lapham

Construed as a means instead of an end, history is the weapon with which we defend the future against the past.

Lewis H. Lapham

Never in the history of the world have so many people been so rich; never in the history off the world have so many of those same people felt themselves so poor.

Lewis H. Lapham

What kind of people do we wish to become, and how do we know an American when we see one? Is it possible to pursue a common purpose without a common history or a standard text?

Lewis H. Lapham