Ken Burns Quotes & Sayings

“The genius of our country is improvisation, and jazz reflects that. It's our great contribution to the arts.”

“I am passionately interested in understanding how my country works. And if you want to know about this thing called the United States of America you have to know about the Civil War.”

“When you are editing, the final master is Aristotle and his poetics. You might have a terrific episode, but if people are falling out because there are just too many elements in it, you have to begin to get rid of things.”

“I can understand why some of these drummers and bass players become cult figures with all of their equipment and the incredible amount of technique they have. But there's very little that I think satisfies you intellectually or emotionally.”

“Like a layer on a pearl, you can't specifically identify the irritant, the moment of the irritant, but at the end of the day, you know you have a pearl.”

“I think we too often make choices based on the safety of cynicism, and what we're lead to is a life not fully lived. Cynicism is fear, and it's worse than fear - it's active disengagement.”

“History is malleable. A new cache of diaries can shed new light, and archeological evidence can challenge our popular assumptions.”

“I subscribe to William Faulkner's' view that history is not just about what we were before but who we are now.”

“The flame is not out, but it is flickering.”

“I don't use composers. I research music the way I research the photographs or the facts in my scripts.”