Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by David McCullough (American Historian)

David Gaub McCullough (1933–2022) was a popular American author, historian, and narrator of documentary films.

Born in Pittsburgh, McCullough studied English literature at Yale and joined Sports Illustrated as a writer. When studying news stories about the Johnstown Flood catastrophe, he was unsatisfied with the articles and books that he found about the flood. He began writing his book: he wrote two pages every night after dinner and after putting his children to bed. His first book, The Johnstown Flood (1968,) was published when he was 35.

McCullough won two Pulitzer Prizes for biographies of two presidents: Truman (1993) and John Adams (2001.) McCullough’s other biographies include Mornings on Horseback (1981) about 17 years in the life of Theodore Roosevelt, 1776 (2005) about the start of the American Revolution, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris (2011,) and The Wright Brothers (2015.) His final book, The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West (2019,) sparked controversy for portraying the settlers as heroes, and not paying sufficient attention to the Native Americans who were often violently displaced.

McCullough was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian award in 2006.

More: Wikipedia READ: Works by David McCullough

No harm’s done to history by making it something someone would want to read.
David McCullough
Topics: History

History is not the story of heroes entirely. It is often the story of cruelty and injustice and shortsightedness. There are monsters, there is evil, there is betrayal. That’s why people should read Shakespeare and Dickens as well as history—they will find the best, the worst, the height of noble attainment and the depths of depravity.
David McCullough
Topics: History

To this noble end the delegates had pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
David McCullough
Topics: Honor, Live

Had proven himself a leader of remarkable ability, a man not only of enterprising ideas, but with the staying power to carry them out.
David McCullough
Topics: Power, Sin, Yin

Hurry was the order of the day, every day.
David McCullough

The preparations were elaborate and mammoth in scale, and Washington threw himself into the effort, demanding that not an hour be lost.
David McCullough
Topics: Preparation, Effort, Labor

Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it is so hard.
David McCullough

History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.
David McCullough
Topics: History

The first of all qualities of a general is courage.
David McCullough
Topics: General, Courage

My God these fellows have done more work in one night than I could make my army do in three months.
David McCullough
Topics: Work, God

It was an utterly phenomenal achievement.
David McCullough
Topics: Achieve, Achievement

Seeing things as they were, not as he would wish they were, was known to be one of Washington’s salient strengths.
David McCullough
Topics: Strength

Washington was a man of exceptional, almost excessive self-command, rarely permitting himself any show of discouragement or despair.
David McCullough
Topics: Courage, Despair

Washington had performed his role to perfection. It was no enough that a leader look the part; by Washington’s rules, he must know how to act it with self-command and precision.
David McCullough
Topics: Act, Perfect, Perfection

Real success is finding your life work in the work that you love. That’s it. Don’t worry about making a living, don’t worry about popularity or fame. Make what you do and what you make count more than what you own.
David McCullough
Topics: Work, Success & Failure

They must be cool but determined…he threatened instant death to any man who showed cowardice.
David McCullough
Topics: War, Death

Just as he had shown no signs of despair when prospects looked bleak, he now showed no elation in what he wrote or in his outward manner or comments.
David McCullough
Topics: War, Despair

In fact, it was the largest expeditionary force of the 18th century. The largest, most powerful force ever set forth from Britain or any nation.
David McCullough
Topics: Power, Act

[On Knox:]…despite…repeated mishaps that would have broken lesser spirits several times over.
David McCullough
Topics: Spirit

With the situation as gray as it could be, no one was more conspicuous in his calm presence of mind than Washington. They must be “cool but determined” he had told the men before the battle, when spirits were high. Now, in the face of catastrophe, he was demonstrating what he meant by his own example. Whatever anger or torment or despair he felt, he kept to himself.
David McCullough
Topics: Despair, Spirit, Mind

Washington had no illusions about the difficulties to be faced. He was gravely, realistically apprehensive about the magnitude of the enemy force in route.
David McCullough

He had kept his head, kept his health and his strength, bearing up under a weight of work and worry that only a few could have carried.
David McCullough
Topics: Health, Worry, Work, Strength

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