Quotes By Stephen Ambrose

The Holocaust was the most evil crime ever committed.

The great wars of the 20th Century made it into the worst Century ever.

Washington's character was rock solid. He came to stand for the new nation and its republican virtues, which was why he became our first President by unanimous choice.

It does you no good to see the number two or number three man in the corporation-you have to get through to number one.

The war in Vietnam I thought a dreadful mistake.

In 1945, there were more people killed, more buildings destroyed, more high explosives set off, more fires burning than before or since.

Trial by jury. Live wherever you can make a living. How could a government based on such principles fail?

As to the Indians, the guiding principle was, promise them anything just so long as they get out of the way.

I was too young for Korea and too old for Vietnam.

My first book was the book that changed my life.

Washington and Jefferson were both rich Virginia planters, but they were never friends.

It would not be possible to praises nurses too highly.

Johnson had been the most powerful man in the world, yet the North Vietnamese and the Vietcong had resisted, overcome his power, broken his will.

I'm no politician. I'm an historian who has learned through a lifetime of studying that nothing in the world beats universal education.

My favorite book is the last one printed, which is always better than those that were published earlier.

Eisenhower had the clearest blue eyes. He would fix them on you. In my every interview with him, he would lock his eyes on to mine and keep them there.

The number one secret of being a successful writer is this: marry an English major.

Dams have harmed our wildlife and made rivers less useful for recreation.

The Canadians have managed to live peacefully with their Indians. It is disgrace that the United States has not done the same.

Jefferson owned slaves. He did not believe that all were created equal. He was a racist.

History is everything that has ever happened.

Writing is not the easiest way to make a living. Your work long hours, usually all by yourself. It is not a way to make money.

The American Constitution is the greatest governing document, and at some 7,000 words, just about the shortest.

American is the first democratic nation-state.

Even before Watergate and his resignation, Nixon had inspired conflicting and passionate emotions.

I've always tried to be fair to my subjects. That's easy when they are as likable and admirable as Lewis and Clark, or Eisenhower.

Winning the Revolutionary War, or the Civil War, or World War II were the turning points in our history, the sine qua non of our forward progress.

The past is a source of knowledge, and the future is a source of hope. Love of the past implies faith in the future.

Reading your own material aloud forces you to listen.

Custer had dead heroes. Crazy Horse had only live ones.