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 great thing about marriage is that it creates trust, the most precious of things.
Theodore ZeldinThe English reputation for humour is a way by which people avoid revealing themselves and have superficial relationships, so that you can engage in banter without making yourself vulnerable.
Theodore ZeldinEverything I am going to say to you is the child of a conversation. [...] That is the aspect of conversation that particularly excites me: how conversation changes the way you see the world, and even changes the world.
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 Zeldin