He who is created by television can be destroyed by television.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Television
The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, “is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then—to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Disorder
The flood of money that gushes into politics today is a pollution of democracy.
—Theodore H. White
Power in America today is control of the means of communication.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Power
If you make a living, if you earn your own money, you’re free—however free one can be on this planet.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Freedom
He is like a good prewar house-solidly built. They don’t build them that way anymore. He’s also been repainted several times.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Character
Whether a man is burdened by power or enjoys power; whether he is trapped by responsibility or made free by it; whether he is moved by other people and outer forces or moves them – this is of the essence of leadership.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Leadership
I’d get into a room and disappear into the woodwork. Now the rooms are so crowded with reporters getting behind-the-scenes stories that nobody can get behind-the-scenes stories.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Journalism
Quality in a classical Greek sense is how to live with grace and intelligence, with bravery and mercy.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Quality
To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Posterity
There is no excitement anywhere in the world, short of war, to match the excitement of the American presidential campaign.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Voting, Elections
There is a thing called knowledge of the world which people do not have until they are middle aged. It is something which cannot be taught to younger people because it is not logical and does not obey laws which are constant. It has no rules.
—Theodore H. White
Topics: Knowledge
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Henry Adams American Historian
Will Durant American Historian
Daniel J. Boorstin American Historian
James Harvey Robinson American Historian
James Truslow Adams American Historian
Jacques Barzun French-born American Historian
David McCullough American Historian
Katherine Anne Porter American Writer
Christopher Lasch American Historian
Walter Lippmann American Journalist