Will Durant

Here is a deeply researched, SEO-optimized biography of Will Durant — the American historian, philosopher, and writer — complete with his life story, major works, influence, and memorable quotes.

Will Durant – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life and legacy of Will Durant (1885-1981), the American historian who made philosophy and civilization accessible. Learn about his major works, key ideas, and most powerful quotes.

Introduction

Will Durant (November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) remains one of the most celebrated American historians and public intellectuals of the 20th century. Through his writings—especially The Story of Civilization—he sought to present history not just as a chronicle of events, but as a living, moral, and philosophical narrative. Durant’s mission was to bridge the gap between the academy and the general reader by making philosophy and cultural history intelligible, inspiring, and meaningful. His influence continues in how we think about civilization, culture, and the lessons of the past.

Early Life and Family

William James Durant was born on November 5, 1885, in North Adams, Massachusetts. The family moved, and Durant’s upbringing included exposure to both religious and intellectual currents of the era.

He was educated in New Jersey, attending Saint Peter’s Preparatory School (in Jersey City) and then Saint Peter’s College, where he graduated in 1907 with a Bachelor’s degree.

From his early years, Durant displayed both curiosity about philosophy and concern for social issues—he flirted with socialist ideas in his youth, though his thought evolved over time.

Youth, Education, and Early Career

After finishing his undergraduate studies, Durant became a teacher. From 1907 to 1911, he taught Latin, French, and other subjects at Seton Hall College in South Orange, New Jersey.

During these years, he married Ariel (then Chaya Kaufman) in 1913—she would become his lifelong collaborator and co-author on many works.

He also pursued advanced study, earning his PhD in philosophy from Columbia University in 1917.

His early published works included Philosophy and the Social Problem (1917), which addressed the need for philosophy to connect with real social issues.

Career and Major Works

The Story of Philosophy

One of Durant’s breakthrough successes was The Story of Philosophy (1926).

This book gave Durant both critical acclaim and sufficient resources (through its sales) to pursue larger projects.

The Story of Civilization & Co-Writing with Ariel

Durant’s most enduring legacy is The Story of Civilization, an 11-volume series published between 1935 and 1975, co-written with his wife, Ariel Durant.

The series is an “integral history” — not simply political or military events, but a broad sweep combining culture, philosophy, religion, art, economics, science, and everyday life.

One of the high points: the 10th volume, Rousseau and Revolution, earned Will and Ariel the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968.

They also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, in recognition of their contribution to letters and culture.

Durant also authored The Lessons of History (1968), a shorter distillation of insights from their long historical work, structured around recurring themes (geography, biology, morals, economics, war, growth & decay, etc.).

Other works include The Case for India, The Tragedy of Russia, The Pleasures of Philosophy, A Dual Autobiography, among many essays and lectures.

Philosophy, Style & Public Intellectual Role

Durant viewed philosophy not as an abstract discipline divorced from life, but as “total perspective” (seeing things sub specie totius)—a phrase echoing Spinoza’s sub specie aeternitatis.

Though his works were immensely popular, academic historians sometimes critiqued them for overgeneralization or for a “great man” perspective. Nonetheless, Durant’s gift lay in storytelling, synthesis, and the capacity to engage a broad audience.

Historical Milestones & Context

• Time of great change: Durant worked across eras—from the late 19th century into the modern age—witnessing world wars, ideological shifts, decolonization, and rapid technological change.

• Bridging specialization: At a time when academic disciplines were becoming more siloed, Durant tried to reclaim a more integrated view of human knowledge.

• Cultural optimism + caution: He often balanced admiration for human achievements with warnings about decline, decay, hubris, corruption, and moral decay.

• Collaborative scholarship: His partnership with Ariel Durant was unusual for its depth: she conducted much of the research and revision, making it a true intellectual collaboration.

• Recognition late in life: The Pulitzer in 1968 and Medal of Freedom in 1977 affirmed his status as a national cultural figure.

Legacy and Influence

Will Durant’s legacy is multifaceted:

1. Popularizing history & philosophy
   He made lofty ideas accessible to nonexperts. Many readers encountered philosophy, culture, and history for the first time through Durant’s books.

2. Integrative approach
   His model of history—combining politics, culture, economy, art, religion—resonates in modern interdisciplinary scholarship and public intellectual discourse.

3. Cultural memory & moral viewpoint
   Durant’s work encourages reflection: not just “what happened,” but “what it means” and “what we should learn.” His moral overlay invites readers to see history as instructive, not just descriptive.

4. Inspirational to writers and intellectuals
   Many later writers and thinkers cite Durant as an influence in narrative history, big-picture thinking, and humanistic values.

5. Enduring readership
   Decades later, The Story of Civilization and The Lessons of History continue to be read, taught, and quoted.

Personality and Talents

Durant was a teacher and communicator at heart. His style was eloquent, engaging, moral, and often lyrical. He combined erudition with readability.

He was a skeptic in many theological senses—he once wrote that he reluctantly abandoned belief in a personal God, though he continued to use the word “God” in a broader symbolic sense.

He balanced optimism about human potential with realism about human failings. Critics sometimes found him idealistic or sweeping in generalization, but his commitment to the value of civilization, culture, education, and moral growth was consistent.

His partnership with Ariel manifested his humility and recognition that scholarship is rarely a solo enterprise.

Famous Quotes of Will Durant

Here are some of his most quoted and memorable lines—rich in insight, reflection, and moral sensibility:

1. “Science gives us knowledge, but only philosophy can give us wisdom.”

2. “Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.”

3. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”

4. “To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves… let us be above such transparent egotism.”

5. “A great civilization is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within.”

6. “History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice.”

7. “Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty, and dies with chaos.”

8. “Nature has never read the Declaration of Independence. It continues to make us unequal.”

9. “The family is the nucleus of civilization.”

10. “In my youth I stressed freedom, and in my old age I stress order. I have made the great discovery that liberty is a product of order.”

These quotes reflect recurring themes in Durant’s thought: order vs. liberty, the moral dimensions of civilization, the limits of knowledge, and human responsibility.

Lessons from Will Durant

From Durant’s life and work, we can extract enduring lessons:

• Synthesis and breadth matter: In an age of specialization, there is still great value in integrative perspectives that connect philosophy, art, culture, and politics.

• Humility before knowledge: Durant’s journey—from confident youth to humble acknowledgment of ignorance—models a mature stance toward learning.

• Moral awareness in history: He insisted that history is not inert; it carries lessons about virtue, vice, social responsibility, and the fragility of civilization.

• Accessibility is a service: He believed that intellectuals should not speak only to themselves, but bring complexity down to a general audience—without losing dignity.

• Collaboration and shared work: His partnership with Ariel shows that great works often require symbiotic relationships rather than lone genius.

• Civilization is fragile: Durant repeatedly warned that the achievements of culture—liberty, arts, institutions—must be cherished, defended, and renewed.

Conclusion

Will Durant’s life spanned nearly a century of dramatic change. His ambition was grand: to tell the story of humanity not just as a sequence of events, but as a moral, philosophical, cultural journey. Though scholars sometimes critique his breadth, his strength was—and remains—his voice to the public, his capacity to inspire, and his commitment to making sense of how we came to be.

His works—especially The Story of Civilization and The Lessons of History—remain touchstones for those who seek not only to know what happened, but to discern what it means. In tribute to his vision, we continue to ask: how do we preserve culture, learn from the past, and use wisdom to guide our future?