Theodore Zeldin Quotes

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Theodore Zeldin

Profession : Philosopher

Birth : August 22, 1933

The English reputation for humour is a way by which people avoid revealing themselves and have superficial relationships, so that you can engage in banter without making yourself vulnerable.

Theodore Zeldin

The French have made conversation their claim to civilisation.

Theodore Zeldin

The British have turned their sense of humour into a national virtue. It is odd, because through much of history, humour has been considered cheap, and laughter something for the lower orders. But British aristocrats didn't care a damn about what people thought of them, so they made humour acceptable.

Theodore Zeldin

I don't think there is anything a man can do that a woman cannot do.

Theodore Zeldin

One of the great ambitions is to discover the diversity of the world, to discover who inhabits the world.

Theodore Zeldin

We should abolish 'work.' By that I mean abolishing the distinction between work and leisure, one of the greatest mistakes of the last century, one that enables employers to keep workers in lousy jobs by granting them some leisure time.

Theodore Zeldin

We are already seeing the creation of a new kind of network based on friendships: Startups, which are often founded by friends, are the beginning of something that could reshape social relations.

Theodore Zeldin

Conversation creates a new kind of network within organizations. Current networks are used for competitive advantage, but conversation is focused on encouraging people to realize their potential.

Theodore Zeldin

We should strive to be employed in such a way that we don't realize that what we're doing is work.

Theodore Zeldin

What does it mean to dance? What does it mean to commit a crime? What does it mean to be anxious? What does it mean to tell a joke? The great thing about the French is that they have thought about these subjects in a great variety of ways and are a very articulate people.

Theodore Zeldin

You have to accept that traditions exist, that people don't change their minds very quickly, that people are scared.

Theodore Zeldin

The tendency of experts is to fiddle around with their expertise rather than trying to find new solutions.

Theodore Zeldin

It is in the power of everybody, with a little courage, to hold out a hand to someone different, to listen, to attempt to increase, by even a tiny amount, the quantity of kindness and humanity in the world.

Theodore Zeldin

We think of speaking as something we do naturally, without any effort. But like playing music, it requires attention and knowledge and practice.

Theodore Zeldin

I think one of the most important changes of our time has been our attitude to fear. Every civilisation defends itself by keeping fears out and saying 'we protect you from fear'. But it also produces new fears and throughout history people have changed the kind of fears which have worried them.

Theodore Zeldin

I don't think fear can be abolished.

Theodore Zeldin

We cannot change public life until we have changed private life.

Theodore Zeldin

What's missing from the world is a sense of direction.

Theodore Zeldin

It's easy to say, 'I'm anti-capitalist,' or, 'I'm anti-Western decadence,' without having to be challenged about what that actually means, or how you might go about reshaping society to make it better.

Theodore Zeldin

You cannot measure the minute nuance that makes the difference between being happy and unhappy at work.

Theodore Zeldin