History had been man's effort to accomodate himself to what he could not do. Amereican history in the 20th century would, more than ever before, test man's ability to accomodate himself to all the new things he could do.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
Knowledge is not simply another commodity. On the contrary. Knowledge is never used up. It increases by diffusion and grows by dispersion.
Interpretation
Knowledge expands when shared, rather than being depleted.
Daniel J. Boorstin's quote emphasizes that knowledge is unique in its nature; it is not a finite resource that diminishes when used. Instead, knowledge multiplies through sharing and communication, suggesting that the more it is spread among people, the more it grows and benefits society as a whole.
In practice
In a seminar on technology and innovation, this quote can be used to emphasize the importance of sharing information among peers.
History had been man's effort to accomodate himself to what he could not do. Amereican history in the 20th century would, more than ever before, test man's ability to accomodate himself to all the new things he could do.
The most promising words ever written on the maps of human knowledge are terra incognita, unknown territory.
Freedom means the opportunity to be what we never thought we would be.
Human models are more vivid and more persuasive than explicit moral commands.
We need not be theologians to see that we have shifted responsibility for making the world interesting from God to the newspaperman.
There was a time when the reader of an unexciting newspaper would remark, 'How dull is the world today!' Nowadays he says, 'What a dull newspaper!'
Don't let schooling interfere with your education.
Hunger, inadequate medical care, poor housing, and inferior schools are enemies of the sense of wonder. It is easier and less expensive in the long run to prevent a loss of imagination by providing adequate nutrition, housing, medical care, and schooling than it is to try to restore that loss.
A book lying idle on a shelf is wasted ammunition. Like money, books must be kept in constant circulation. Lend and borrow to the maximum.
...for the object of education is to teach us to love beauty.
In order to improve your game you must study the endgame before everything else; for, whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middlegame and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame.
The trouble is not that schools don't work; they do. They're excellent machines for achieving historically accepted purposes. In suburban schools are children of the rich, who grow up to privilege and anesthetic oblivion to pain - and who then use the servants produced by ghetto schools.
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