Revolution as an ideal concept always preserves the essential content of the original thought: sudden and lasting betterment.

In Europe art has to a large degree taken the place of religion. In America it seems rather to be science.

A crude mind could easily think: something is valid, therefore it is true.

The content of the ideal is a desire to return to the perfection of an imaginary past.

All seemingly profound thinking which passes for realism, because it conveniently does away with all troublesome principles, has agreat attraction for the adolescent mind.

He who wishes to maintain that the past of mankind no longer has any absolute value in lifemust also be ready to deny his ownlife until the present moment, indeed in advance until the last moment, as worthless. He who realizes that culture is the giving of form will also see that the highest forms that it is given to the human spirit to recognize have always been, psychologically considered, such evasions from the present. Considerations such as these do not at all square with the direction of America's mind.

Play is older than culture, for culture, however inadequately defined, always presupposes human society, and animals have not waited for man to teach them their playing.