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
Not so many years ago there was no simpler or more intelligible notion than that of going on a journey. Travel -movement through space -provided the universal metaphor for change. One of the subtle confusions -perhaps one of the secret terrors -of modern life is that we have lost this refuge. No longer do we move through space as we once did.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how the concept of travel has been a deep metaphor for personal and societal change, which has been lost in modern life.
Daniel J. Boorstin's quote explores the idea that travel has historically represented a clear and understandable journey, symbolizing the changes we experience in life. He suggests that in contemporary society, we have lost the essence of this metaphor, and as a result, our understanding of change has become muddled and confusing. The quote implies a longing for a time when movement through space was a straightforward expression of transformation, and it highlights the challenges of modernity that complicate our relationship with change.
Themes
JourneyTravelChangeModern LifeMetaphor
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one might say, 'As we embark on our journey of change, remember Daniel J. Boorstin's words on the lost art of travel.'
More from Daniel J. Boorstin
All quotes →The most promising words ever written on the maps of human knowledge are terra incognita, unknown territory.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
Freedom means the opportunity to be what we never thought we would be.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
Human models are more vivid and more persuasive than explicit moral commands.
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.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
We need not be theologians to see that we have shifted responsibility for making the world interesting from God to the newspaperman.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
Similar quotes
When we as a society begin to value mothers as the givers and supporters of life, then we will see social change in ways that matter.
Ina May GaskinRead
When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.
Paul HawkenRead
Men do change, and change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass.
John SteinbeckRead
You think OWS is radical? You think 350.org was radical for helping organize mass civil disobedience in D.C. in August against the Keystone Pipeline? We're not radical. Radicals work for oil companies. The CEO of Exxon gets up every morning and goes to work changing the chemical composition of the atmosphere. No one has ever done anything as radical as that, not in all of human history.
Bill MckibbenRead
Changing communities and changing our country is going to last a lot longer than how many footballs you catch or how many touchdowns you make.
Malcolm JenkinsRead
Women have worked hard; starved in prison; given of their time and lives that we might sit in the House of Commons and take part in the legislating of this country.
Ellen WilkinsonRead