The reason why you do history, and particularly why you do war, is that you want to make sure that in the next war, some lessons were learned. There'…

- Ken Burns

I subscribe to William Faulkner's' view that history is not just about what we were before but who we are now.

- Ken Burns

History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are.

- Ken Burns

The genius of our country is improvisation, and jazz reflects that. It's our great contribution to the arts.

- Ken Burns

Do not lose your enthusiasm. In its Greek etymology, the word enthusiasm means, "God in us."

- Ken Burns

People tend to forget that the word "history" contains the word "story".

- Ken Burns

I think we too often make choices based on the safety of cynicism, and what we're lead to is a life not fully lived. Cynicism is fear, and it's worse…

- Ken Burns

There are no ordinary lives.

- Ken Burns

It is the great arrogance of the present to forget the intelligence of the past

- Ken Burns