Whoever lies in the language of words gives himself away in the language of gestures, which he does not notice…
Oswald Spengler on the language of lies, the press and war, and culture turning into civilisation.
sociology
There is a pattern: civilisations rise when they are able to respond creatively to the challenges around them…
Arnold J. Toynbee on the pattern behind the rise and fall of civilisations, the components of culture and the surest way to reach a goal.
The lifespan of a dynasty rarely exceeds three generations…
Ibn Khaldun on the three-generation life of a dynasty, asabiyyah, the paradox of taxation, and how prejudice blinds the soul to the truth.
Success is the ability to move from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm
Winston Churchill on perseverance, the speed of a lie, the value of having enemies, and why history holds the secrets of political foresight.
The attempt to create paradise on earth inevitably leads to the creation of hell
Karl Popper on the danger of utopian designs, the fashion that rules philosophy, and the lessons Plato still offers sociology.
The main principles of war propaganda
The British diplomat Lord Ponsonby set out the main principles of war propaganda in his 1928 book Falsehood in War-Time.
The lifespan of a dynasty rarely exceeds three generations…
Ibn Khaldun on why dynasties seldom outlast three generations, and on asabiyyah as the force behind the rise and fall of civilisations.