History isn't just what happened, but what happened to whom and why and what would have been different if the cast of characters had been different.

We must not think of learning as only what happens in schools. It is an extended part of life. The most readily available resource for all of life is our public library system.

And read… read all the time… read as a matter of principle, as a matter of self-respect. Read as a nourishing staple of life.

I'm absolutely positive it's in our human nature to want to know about the past. The two most popular movies of all time, while not historically accurate, are about core historic events: 'Gone With the Wind' and 'Titanic.'

I love Dickens. I love the way he sets a scene.

You can't be a full participant in our democracy if you don't know our history.

With the situation as gray as it could be, no one was more conspicuous in his calm presence of mind than Washington. They must be "cool but determined" he had told the men before the battle, when spirits were high. Now, in the face of catastrophe, he was demonstrating what he meant by his own example. Whatever anger or torment or despair he felt, he kept to himself.