All Samuel Eliot Morison Quotes
- The freedmen were not really free in 1865, nor are most of their descendants really free in 1965. Slavery was but one aspect of a… All
- Dream dreams and write them aye, but live them first. Dream
- Make no mistake; the American Revolution was not fought to obtain freedom, but to preserve the liberties that Americans already had as colonials. Independence was… American
- America was discovered accidentally by a great seaman who was looking for something else; when discovered it was not wanted; and most of the exploration… Accidentally
- The cruel policy initiated by Columbus and pursued by his successors resulted in complete genocide. Columbus
- If the European discovery had been delayed for a century or two, it is possible that the Aztec in Mexico or the Iroquois in North… Adopting
- If the American Revolution had produced nothing but the Declaration of Independence, it would have been worth while. . . . The beauty and cogency… All
- But sea power has never led to despotism. The nations that have enjoyed sea power even for a brief period-Athens, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, England, the… Alexander
- Intellectual honesty is the quality that the public in free countries always has expected of historians; much more than that it does not expect, nor… Countries
- The same contingencies of time and space that force a statesman or soldier to make decisions, impel the historian, though with less urgency, to make… Contingencies
- Franklin may . . . be considered one of the founding fathers of American democracy, since no democratic government can last long without conciliation and… American
- A tough but nervous, tenacious but restless race [the Yankees]; materially ambitious, yet prone to introspection, and subject to waves of religious emotion. . .… Ambitious
- So I have cultivated the vast garden of human experience which is history, without troubling myself overmuch about laws, essential first causes, or how it… All
- No big modern war has been won without preponderant sea power; and, conversely, very few rebellions of maritime provinces have succeeded without acquiring sea power. Acquiring
- With honesty of purpose, balance, a respect for tradition, courage, and, above all, a philosophy of life, any young person who embraces the historical profession… All
- If the American Revolution had produced nothing but the Declaration of Independence, it would have been worthwhile. America
- He [Columbus] enjoyed long stretches of pure delight such as only a seaman may know, and moments of high, proud exultation that only a discoverer… Columbus
- A few hints as to literary craftsmanship may be useful to budding historians. First and foremost, get writing! Budding
- Skepticism is an important historical tool. It is the starting point of all revision of hitherto accepted history. Accepted
- Historical methodology, as I see it, is a product of common sense applied to circumstances. Applied
- Too rigid specialization is almost as bad for a historian's mind, and for his ultimate reputation, as too early an indulgence in broad generalization and… Bad
- If a lecturer, he wishes to be heard; if a writer, to be read. He always hopes for a public beyond that of the long-suffering… Always Hopes
- An historian should yield himself to his subject, become immersed in the place and period of his choice, standing apart from it now and then… Apart