The British have turned their sense of humour into a national virtue. It is odd, because through much of history, humour has been considered cheap, and laughter something for the lower orders. But British aristocrats didn't care a damn about what people thought of them, so they made humour acceptable.
Theodore ZeldinThe institution of marriage, if you look at it over many centuries, has come and gone.
Theodore ZeldinThe Renaissanceโฆ was based on a new idea of the importance of the individual. But this was a fragile foundation, because individuals depended on constant applause and admiration to sustain them. There is a shortage of applause in the world, and there is not enough respect to go around.
Theodore ZeldinI think the hero in our generation is not the individual but the pair, two people who together add up to more than they are apart.
Theodore ZeldinTo idolise a person means you don't get to know them, and the idea that you can become one is a myth, and it also means that you don't need to talk to one another because you're the same person.
Theodore Zeldin