16 David McCullough Quotes for You to Enjoy

David McCullough

American Historian

Born: Jul 7, 1933

Book History Love Work Writing You

Related authors: Barbara W. Tuchman Carter G. Woodson Daniel J. Boorstin Henry Adams James Truslow Adams Robert Fogel Tara Westover Will Durant

May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof. David McCullough

Wise Roof Men Rule Wise Men None May Ever Honest

You can't be a full participant in our democracy if you don't know our history. David McCullough

Democracy History You Our Participant Know Full

I work very hard on the writing, writing and rewriting and trying to weed out the lumber. David McCullough

Work Writing Weed Out Very Trying Rewriting Hard Lumber

With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his tracks in the war. When I got there, there was a certain satisfaction in finding I had it right - it does look like that. David McCullough

War Book World Before Finding Follow Entire Had Over Like Look Wrote Tracks Does Got His Truman Account Going Experiences Certain Europe Satisfaction Right World War World War I

When I began, I thought that the way one should work was to do all the research and then write the book. David McCullough

Work Book Thought Research Way Write Began Then Should

Real success is finding you lifework in the work that you love. David McCullough

Success Work Love You Finding Real Real Success Success Is

To me history ought to be a source of pleasure. It isn't just part of our civic responsibility. To me it's an enlargement of the experience of being alive, just the way literature or art or music is. David McCullough

Music Art Me History Experience Responsibility Ought Our Way Pleasure Alive Civic Part Source Just Being Literature Enlargement

People are so helpful. People will stop what they're doing to show you something, to walk with you through a section of the town, or explain how a suspension bridge really works. David McCullough

You People Walk Will Section Something Through Town How Doing Stop Suspension Explain Really Show Helpful Works Bridge

I would pay to do what I do if I had to. David McCullough

Pay Would Had

To go back and read Swift and Defoe and Samuel Johnson and Smollett and Pope - all those people we had to read in college English courses - to read them now is to have one of the infinite pleasures in life. David McCullough

Life People College Back Pleasures Those Johnson Had Read Courses Go Infinite Samuel Them Pope English Swift Now

My shorthand answer is that I try to write the kind of book that I would like to read. If I can make it clear and interesting and compelling to me, then I hope maybe it will be for the reader. David McCullough

Hope Me Book Try Will Kind Would Write Clear Like Make Read Reader Answer Maybe Interesting Shorthand Then Compelling

I love Dickens. I love the way he sets a scene. David McCullough

Love Sets Way Scene He Dickens

I had been writing for about twelve years. I knew pretty well how you could find things out, but I had never been trained in an academic way how to go about the research. David McCullough

I can fairly be called an amateur because I do what I do, in the original sense of the word - for love, because I love it. On the other hand, I think that those of us who make our living writing history can also be called true professionals. David McCullough

Every book is a new journey. I never felt I was an expert on a subject as I embarked on a project. David McCullough

Journey Book Every Project Embarked Never New Felt Subject Expert

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