"The past is really almost as much a work of the imagination as the future." ― Jessamyn West Topic(s): History More From Jessamyn West "There are two barriers that often prevent communication between the young and their elders. The first is middle-aged forgetfulness of the fact that they themselves are no longer young. The second is youthful ignorance of the fact that the middle aged are still alive." "Writing is a solitary occupation. Family, friends, and society are the natural enemies of the writer. He must be alone, uninterrupted, and slightly savage if he is to sustain and complete an undertaking." "Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures." More In History "While history never repeats itself, political patterns do."― Eric Alterman "Hubert Humphrey talks so fast that listening to him is like trying to read Playboy magazine with your wife turning the pages."― Barry Goldwater "Be assured those will be thy worst enemies, not to whom thou hast done evil, but who have done evil to thee. And those will be thy best friends, not to whom thou hast done good, but who have done good to thee."― Tacitus