Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art.

— Will Durant

Fear of death, wonder at the causes of chance events or unintelligible happenings, hope for divine aid and gratitude for good fortune, cooperated to generate religious belief.

— Will Durant

Forget mistakes. Forget failure. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it. Today is your lucky day.

— Will Durant

Forget mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it. Today is your lucky day.

— Will Durant

For what is philosophy but an art - one more attempt to give "significant form" to the chaos of experience?

— Will Durant

Grow strong, my comrade … that you may stand Unshaken when I fall; that I may know The shattered fragments of my song will combat last to finer melody in you;That I may tell my heart that you begin Where passing I leave off, and fathom more.

— Will Durant

Hence, I think it is that democracies change into aristocracies, and these at length into monarchies,' people at last prefer tyranny to chaos. Equality of power is an unstable condition; men are by nature unequal; and 'he who seeks equality between unequal seeks an absurdity.' Democracy has still to solve the problem of enlisting the best energies of men while giving to all alike the choice of those, among the trained and fit, by whom they wish to be ruled.

— Will Durant

History is an excellent teacher with few pupils.

— Will Durant

History is mostly guessing the rest is prejudice.

— Will Durant

If there is any intelligence guiding this universe, philosophy wishes to know and understand it and reverently work with it; if there is none, philosophy wishes to know that also, and face it without fear. If the stars are but transient coagulation of haphazard nebulae, if life is a colloidal accident, impersonally permanent and individually fleeting, if man is only a compound of chemicals, destined to disintegrate and utterly disappear, if the creative ecstasy of art, and the gentle wisdom of the sage, and the willing martyrdom of saints are but bright incidents in the protoplasmic ululation of the earth, and death is the answer to every problem and the destiny of every soul--then philosophy will face that too, and try to find within that narrowed circle some significance and nobility for man.

— Will Durant