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The great historians, with few exceptions, are those who have not merely studied, but lived; and whose studies have ranged over a much wider field than the period or subject of which they write.

— Samuel Eliot Morison History as a Literary Art (1946)

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More quotes by Samuel Eliot Morison

So far so good; but it never remains good long on Guadalcanal.

Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions (1949)

You do not need chariots and horsemen, harps and war-horns, to make history interesting.

History as a Literary Art (1946)

The University is a school of liberty as well as of learning; and events of the last few years have driven home the lesson that only in an atmosphere of liberty, and in a body politic that practises as well as preaches democracy, can learning flourish.

Three Centuries of Harvard (1936)

He [Columbus] enjoyed long stretches of pure delight such as only a seaman may know, and moments of high, proud exultation that only a discoverer can experience.

Admiral of the Ocean Sea (1942)

Too rigid specialization is almost as bad for a historian's mind, and for his ultimate reputation, as too early an indulgence in broad generalization and synthesis.

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