The art of writing history is the art of emphasizing the significant facts at the expense of the insignificant. And it is the same in every field of knowledge. Knowledge is power only if a man knows what facts not to bother about.

— Robert Wilson Lynd Robert Lynd (1926)

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Robert Lynd (1926) The orange tree: a volume of essays. p.60. The last sentence "Knowledge is power only if a man knows what facts not to bother about." was cited in some sources in the 1960s, such as August Kerber (1968) Quotable quotes on education. p.190, and in multiple other sources ever since.

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In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.

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We welcome almost any break in the monotony of things, and a man has only to murder a series of wives in a new way to become known to millions of people who have never heard of Homer.

Most of us can remember a time when a birthday — especially if it was one's own — brightened the world as if a second sun had risen.

Robert Lynd (1969)

There are some people who want to throw their arms round you simply because it is Christmas; there are other people who want to strangle you simply because it is Christmas.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Robert Wilson Lynd (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.

The art of writing history is the art of emphasizing the significant facts at the expense of the insignificant. And it is the same in every field of knowledge. Knowledge is power only if a man knows what facts not to bother about.

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