Tao Te Ching
Renaissance
By Will Durant
The history of civilization in Italy between the birth of Petrarch until the death of Titian, from between 1304 to 1576. Durant uses his "integral method" to give a unified picture, a philosophy of history rather than just a repetition of facts to make the people both come alive and become relevant to our modern times and challenges. Based on 40 years of study and 6 extensive trips to Italy, Durant clearly accomplishes his aim of sharing the inspiration from this "legacy of mental freedom, esthetic sensitivity, friendly and sympathetic understanding.. the sovereign song of the Renaissance."
Quotes from Renaissance
“He remained vain to the end, merely pluming himself on his achievements instead of his appearance; but this is a fault that only the greatest saints can shun.”
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“in the presence of a mother tending her child, or of a genius giving order to chaos, meaning to matter, nobility to form or thought, we feel as close as we shall ever be to the life and mind and law that constitute the unintelligible intelligence of the world.”
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“The artist's most important work lies in conception rather than in execution 'men of genius do most when they work least.' (Vasari)”
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“The humanists captivated the mind of Italy, turned it from religion to philosophy, from heaven to earth, and revealed to an astonished generation the riches of pagan thought and art.”
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“The last word must be one of humility... We need not be ashamed to worship heroes, if our sense of discrimination is not left outside their shrines.”
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“Usually a supreme artist is the culmination of a tradition [and] his very superiority fulfills and exhausts development so that after him must come a period of helpless imitation and decline. Then slowly a new tradition grows...”
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