Arnold J. Toynbee

Arnold Joseph Toynbee was a British historian, philosopher of history, research professor of international history at the London School of Economics and the University of London and author of numerous books. Toynbee in the 1918–1950 period was a leading specialist on international affairs.

He is best known for his 12-volume A Study of History (1934–1961). With his prodigious output of papers, articles, speeches and presentations, and numerous books translated into many languages, Toynbee was a widely read and discussed scholar in the 1940’s and 1950’s.

Date of birth:
14th April, 1889
Date of death:
22nd October, 1975
"The equation of religion with belief is rather recent."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): Religion
"The human race’s prospects of survival were considerably better when we were defenceless against tigers than they are today when we have become defenceless against ourselves."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): Society
"Civilization is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbor."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): History
"Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things: first, an ideal, with takes the imagination by storm, and second, a definite intelligible plan for carrying that ideal into practice."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): Imagination
"To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): Intelligence
"As human beings, we are endowed with freedom of choice, and we cannot shuffle off our responsibility upon the shoulders of God or nature. We must shoulder it ourselves. It is our responsibility."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): Freedom
"Of the twenty-two civilizations that have appeared in history, nineteen of them collapsed when they reached the moral state the United States is in now."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): History
"History is a vision of God’s creation on the move."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): History
"Sooner or later, man has always had to decide whether he worships his own power or the power of God."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): God
"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play."
― Arnold J. Toynbee
Topic(s): Work

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