In every age 'the good old days' were a myth. No one ever thought they were good at the time. For every age has consisted of crises that seemed intolerable to the people who lived through them.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that people tend to romanticize the past, believing it was better than the present, even though they did not appreciate it at the time.
Brooks Atkinson's quote reflects on the human tendency to look back at previous eras with nostalgia, often overlooking the difficulties and challenges faced during those times. He argues that each generation experiences crises that feel unbearable in the moment, yet in retrospect, those same periods are often viewed as 'the good old days.' This highlights the paradox of how time can reshape our perceptions of the past and make us value what we once took for granted.
In practice
During a speech about changes in society, one might quote this to illustrate how perceptions of past eras can be misleading.
This nation was built by men who took risks-pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, businessmen who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action.
People everywhere enjoy believing things that they know are not true. It spares them the ordeal of thinking for themselves and taking responsibility for what they know.
If God thinks this state of war in the universe a price worth paying for free will...then we may take it it is worth paying.
I write differently from what I speak, I speak differently from what I think, I think differently from the way I ought to think, and so it all proceeds into deepest darkness.
He was a degenerate gambler. That is, a man who gambled simply to gamble and must lose. As a hero who goes to war must die. Show me a gambler and I'll show you a loser, show me a hero and I'll show you a corpse.
The sneakiest form of literary subtlety, in a corrupt society, is to speak the plain truth. The critics will not understand you; the public will not believe you; your fellow writers will shake their heads. Laughter, praise, honors, money, and the love of beautiful girls will be your only reward.
I will always be an advocate in terms of wars of necessity. I am just much more cautious on wars of choice.
Money is really worth no more than as it can be used to accomplish the Lord's work. Life is worth as much as it is spent for the Lord's service.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.