7 Quotes by Arnold Toynbee

Militarism has been by far the commonest cause of the breakdown of civilizations. The single art of war makes progress at the expense of all the arts of peace.

Schism in the soul, schism in the body social, will not be resolved by any scheme to return to the good old days (archaism), or by programs guaranteed to render an ideal projected future (futurism), or even by the most realistic, hardheaded work to weld together again the deteriorating elements [of civilization]. Only birth can conquer death―the birth, not of the old thing again, but of something new.

Kulturen blühen auf, wenn auf Fragen von heute Antworten von Morgen gegeben werden.Kulturen zerfallen, wenn für Probleme von heute Antworten von gestern gegeben werden.

Some historians hold that history is just one damned thing after another.

Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.

Compassion is the desire that moves the individual self to widen the scope of its self-concern to embrace the whole of the universal self.

America is a large, friendly dog in a very small room. Every time it wags its tail, it knocks over a chair.