Of true knowledge at any time, a good part is merely convenient, necessary indeed to the worker, but not to an understanding of his subject: One can judge a building without knowing where to buy the bricks; one can understand a violin sonata without knowing how to score for the instrument. The work may in fact be better understood without a knowledge of the details of its manufacture, of attention to these tends to distract from meaning and effect.
Jacques BarzunYou never step in the same river of thought twice, because neither you nor it are the same.
Jacques BarzunWhoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game - and do it by watching first some high school or small-town teams.
Jacques BarzunThe test and the use of man's education is that he finds pleasure in the exercise of his mind.
Jacques Barzun