Quotation added by staff

Why not add this quote to your bookmarks?

  ...the Lord. The country was new, but the race was tried, chastened, and full of solemn memories. It was an old wine in new bottles; and America did not have to wait for its present universities, with their departments of academic philosophy, in order to possess a living philosophy--to have a distinct vision of the universe and definite convictions about human destiny.
Now this situation is a singular and remarkable one, and has many consequences, not all of which are equally fortunate. America is a young country with an old mentality.   it has enjoyed the advantages of a child carefully brought up and thoroughly indoctrinated; it has been a wise child. But a wise child, an old head on young shoulders, always has a comic and an unpromising side. The wisdom is a little thin and verbal, not aware of its full meaning and grounds; and physical and emotional growth may be stunted by it, or even deranged. Or when the child is too vigorous for that, he will develop a fresh mentality of his own, out of his observations and...   Santayana, George

Excerpt from Winds Of Doctrine Studies in Contemporary Opinion · This quote is about america · Search on Google Books to find all references and sources for this quotation.

• Biography
• 2 Fans
• This quote in blogs