Amnesia is as detrimental to society as to an individual. The historian Daniel Boorstein put it very well. "Trying to plan for the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers." There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman. We are all influenced by people around us. Every action has consequences, and we have to be very careful about leaping to conclusions from first impressions. Integrity and character truly do count in the long run. The idea that no one has lived in more difficult or dangerous times is untrue. Others have weathered more horrendous storms; we can take heart from them.
David McCullough (Pulitzer Prize-winning Historian)