In history as in life it is success that counts. Start a political upheaval and let yourself be caught, and you will hang as a traitor. But place you…

- Hendrik Willem Van Loon

A few drops of science will often disinfect an entire barrel full of ignorance and prejudice.

- Hendrik Willem Van Loon

In such a case the writer is apt to have recourse to epigrams. Somewhere in this world there is an epigram for every dilemma.

- Hendrik Willem Van Loon

It is little enough we know and the rest is darkness.

- Hendrik Willem Van Loon

Life means progress, and progress means suffering.

- Hendrik Willem Van Loon

An ignorant person is, by the very fact of his or her ignorance, a very dangerous person.

- Hendrik Willem Van Loon

Nature is rarely allowed to enter the sacred portals of civilized society.

- Hendrik Willem Van Loon

Great art... is the result of the labours of thousands of faithful craftsmen who know that they are doomed to remain for ever outside the gates of th…

- Hendrik Willem Van Loon

The foundation for a new era was laid but yesterday. The human was given its first chance to become truly civilised when it took courage to question …

- Hendrik Willem Van Loon