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The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time

Will Durant,

John Little (Editor)

3.79 · Rating details · 1,889 ratings · 186 reviews

A wise and witty compendium of the greatest thoughts, greatest minds, and greatest books of all time -- listed in accessible and succinct form -- by one of the world's greatest scholars.
From the "Hundred Best Books" to the "Ten Greatest Thinkers" to the "Ten Greatest Poets," here is a concise collection of the world's most significant knowledge. For the better part of a ...more

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Hardcover, 144 pages

Published November 7th 2002 by Simon Schuster (first published October 29th 1996)

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Nov 16, 2015 Roy Lotz rated it liked it

I am, apparently, slowly but surely paying Durant the compliment of reading his entire oeuvre. And it is quite a compliment, considering how massive a collection of writings he left behind. Thankfully, this little volume, a posthumously published collection, was very slim. Much can be forgiven of a book if it can be read in a day.

In my last review of a book by Durant, I noted his unfortunate penchant for superlatives; and the very title of this work (though I don’t think he chose it) illustrat I am, apparently, slowly but surely paying Durant the compliment of reading his entire oeuvre. And it is quite a compliment, considering how massive a collection of writings he left behind. Thankfully, this little volume, a posthumously published collection, was very slim. Much can be forgiven of a book if it can be read in a day.

In my last review of a book by Durant, I noted his unfortunate penchant for superlatives; and the very title of this work (though I don’t think he chose it) illustrates this perfectly. Here you will find Durant’s opinions of the ten most influential thinkers, the ten greatest poets, the ten most important developments in human history, the one-hundred best books for a liberal education, and the twelve most important dates in history. To be frank, I find lists of this kind exceedingly puerile—as if philosophy were a sport, and poetry a beauty pageant—but I would also be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m a sucker for lists of books.

As for his choices in these lists, I can’t strongly object—although I find his inclusion of Francis Bacon and Voltaire into the list of the greatest thinkers of all time rather baffling. More vexing was Durant’s heavy-handed advocacy of the “great men” view of history. Durant actually says that the history of France is not the history of the French people, but of the greatest French thinkers and artists—because ordinary people are much the same everywhere, but geniuses are what give a country its particular flavor. Now, I’m actually quite tolerant of elitism in artistic and intellectual realms; but this is so elitist as to be incoherent. In fact, it’s hard to know where to begin in arguing against a claim like that, so I will move along.

By far the most winsome chapter in this collection is Durant’s prescription of books for a complete education. It is written with verve and eloquence, and his enthusiasm for his subject is contagious. What’s more, I was pleased to see Durant include H.G. Wells's Outline of History in his list, a marvellous book which was a milestone in my own quest to educate myself. Other than this chapter, however, I found this book to be rather pointless. Do I really need Durant to tell me that Kant and Newton were great thinkers, and that Keats and Shakespeare were great poets?

And, while I’m at it, do you really need a reviewer like me to tell you that a book entitled The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time will be both elitist and juvenile? I suspect not.
...more

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Mar 24, 2014 Arkskier rated it really liked it

In college it was Durant’s “The Story of Philosophy” that got me into reading more philosophy. Ever since, I’ve been trying to get his now-rare eleven-volume “The Story of Civilization,” which took him 50 years to write. Due to his encyclopedic mind, Durant has been asked by many people who he considers the greatest thinkers, the greatest poets, the peaks in human progress and history, and the one hundred best books for a man’s education. In this short book, editor John Little compiles the essay In college it was Durant’s “The Story of Philosophy” that got me into reading more philosophy. Ever since, I’ve been trying to get his now-rare eleven-volume “The Story of Civilization,” which took him 50 years to write. Due to his encyclopedic mind, Durant has been asked by many people who he considers the greatest thinkers, the greatest poets, the peaks in human progress and history, and the one hundred best books for a man’s education. In this short book, editor John Little compiles the essays that Durant wrote to answer these questions, essays which he published in periodicals and gave as lectures.

Durant exudes high eloquence. By turns he is magisterial, funny, authoritative. When I read him, I feel like I’m listening to a professor who’s read everything and will never run out of things to say about absolutely anything under the sun. He considers Keats as the finest poet, Edward Gibbon as the greatest historian, and Dostoevsky as the greatest novelist. He makes sweeping statements that have in them the force of papal bulls: Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt” is the “greatest poem since Faust.” Rolland’s “Jean Christophe” is the supreme novel of our century. Li Po is China’s Keats. Anatole France is the “distilled essence of French culture and art.” Poe is “a bit overrated”. He reminds us in passing that even Shakespeare was reviled by both Voltaire and Alexander Pope. The Andante from Mozart’s Quartet in D Major is “absolute music… meaningless beauty.” You don't even have to agree with everything he says to benefit from them, the same way that you don't have to agree with your professors to learn from them.

Durant advises us to read Faust Part 1, but not to get tricked into reading Part 2, a “senile hotch-potch of nonsense.” If you want to know how religion began, read Frazer’s “Golden Bough.” If you want to read Europe’s history, read Breasted’s “The Human Adventure.” Milton raised English prose “to its highest reach,” but when it came to poetry, he only wrote “tolerable verse.” To Durant, the French Enlightenment was the peak of human history, even greater than Greece ever was, or Rome, or Italy.

I enjoyed this short book. Anyone who is looking to read the best books ever written, will find here the brief introduction and guidance they’re looking for.
...more

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Dec 25, 2017 Schehani rated it really liked it

The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time by Will Durant, was really a great read for me. I liked the organization of books; however, the sections dealing with 100 Best Books to read for an Education, Ten peaks of human progress and 12 vital dates of world history I liked the most. Just reading the last two chapters - 10 peaks and 12 dates - takes you quickly on a time travel Jim no time at all. If you haven't read history before, you must read these two chapters first before you touch any histor ...more

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Dec 25, 2016 David rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, amazon-audible, philosophy, poets-poetry, art-architecture, essays

"Let me have seven hours a week and I will make a scholar and a philosopher out of you."
~Will Durant

The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time is the culmination of the 50 years of scholarship and research Will Durant invested to write the 11-volume The Story of Civilization. Following publication of these volumes, he wrote a series of essays and gave speeches culling the most significant people and events in history. These essays and speeches are gathered together in this book.

One of the most str ...more

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Sep 05, 2014 S.Ach rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

Life is better than literature, friendship is sweeter than philosophy, and children reach into our hearts with profounder music than comes from any symphony, but even so these living delights offer no derogation to the modest and secondary pleasures of our books.
When life is bitter, or friendship slips away, or perhaps our children leave us for their own haunts and homes, we shall come and sit at the table with Shakespeare and Goethe, and laugh at the world of Rabelais, and see its autumn loveli

Life is better than literature, friendship is sweeter than philosophy, and children reach into our hearts with profounder music than comes from any symphony, but even so these living delights offer no derogation to the modest and secondary pleasures of our books.
When life is bitter, or friendship slips away, or perhaps our children leave us for their own haunts and homes, we shall come and sit at the table with Shakespeare and Goethe, and laugh at the world of Rabelais, and see its autumn loveliness with John Keats. For these are friends who give us only their best, who never answers back and always wait our call. When we have walked with them awhile, and listened humbly to their speech, we shall be healed of our infirmities, and know the peace that comes of understanding.

….this comes from the person who had read all the books in the world….. well almost all worth reading.

When I saw the title "The greatest minds and ideas of all time" coming from one of my favourite authors, I didn't think even for a minute before adding it to the cart in the online portal. But, when the book was delivered, I was little disappointed. How can such a slim volume ( 100 odd pages) contain even a single good idea, let alone all the great ideas of human history.

The book doesn't really describe any of the great ideas or attempt to decipher the great minds.
It just lists them.
If a man wants to read all the books that would make him educated, what would be those? What could be the greatest dates in the history of mankind? Who are the most original thinkers?
Durant tries his best to make these lists objectively, without having any personal bias, providing ample justification for his selections. Of course you can question the rationale of some of the entries, but show me a list in this world that remains unchallenged. Every sentence, every paragraph of these essays show the range of Durant's knowledge.

Will Durant is undoubtedly the one responsible for my interest in philosophy. In "the 100 best books for an education", he omits his much acclaimed "the story of civilization" that he spent half a century researching and writing. That book and the ones he listed become my dream read. ...more

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May 20, 2018 John Conquest rated it liked it

Excuse the blog post.

I liked the way the 100 books to read was presented. Sort of like 'if you spend 1 hour a night reading from this, you can finish the list in a few years and you will be "well-read." While you get no $100,000 check from the Big Brain Association or certificate of completion at the end, you will have an above-solid grasp of history, philosophy, themes/writing styles, etc..'

Which made me think of a recent thread on r/books (i'm a sadomasochist) that I believe was a reply to tha Excuse the blog post.

I liked the way the 100 books to read was presented. Sort of like 'if you spend 1 hour a night reading from this, you can finish the list in a few years and you will be "well-read." While you get no $100,000 check from the Big Brain Association or certificate of completion at the end, you will have an above-solid grasp of history, philosophy, themes/writing styles, etc..'

Which made me think of a recent thread on r/books (i'm a sadomasochist) that I believe was a reply to that buzzfeed article "Stop Reading Books You Don't Actually Enjoy".

The comment section was jam-packed with micro-brain takes. The first type I saw was that there is no such thing as being "well-read" for various reasons (one that stuck with me was that because you would have to read literature from every culture on Earth to be 'well-read,' its just not possible.) This seemed an intentionally dishonest interpretation of what being 'well-read' means.

Then people saying they lasted about five pages of Plato/The Bible/*book that is considered challenging* before giving up because it was hard. Here you have an inability to even comprehend that the delayed gratification you can get from reading a 'classic' may be worth more than the instant gratification of the latest genre fiction off the shelf.

Finally my favorite nuclear hot take was that 'women read much more than men, yet they are never considered well-read,' the assumption being that the amount of words you look at on paper is directly proportional to how 'well-read' you are. I have worked in a library for years and I will give you the quick armchair psychoanalysis of the average woman reader that comes through our doors. Overwhelmingly white, boomer, possibly middle-aged. The stack of books she checks out at the same time will generally follow this blueprint;

1. A recent diet meme-book. So think a title like "The Obesity Code" or "The Fat Revolution." These are the 250-300 page diet books where you eat 32 eggs a day or they are trying to justify being morbidly obese. Calorie-in/calorie-out, exercise, or just putting down the fork are alien concepts. These are so popular, with the material inside being so contradictory and incoherent, that it almost seems like the people who check them out subconsciously know that they will fail in their quest to lose-weight/improve their health, which is where the second book comes in.

2. A religious meme-book. Think Joel Osteen or the wife of some televangelist whose message is that if you really try or pray hard enough, you can absolve yourself of responsibility for nearly any issue in your life. This goes perfectly with the diet book because when your 'diet' miserably fails, you can then turn to the religious book and think "well God herself must want me to be fat."

3. A romance book. Now there is some diversity in this field. You have the standard 'Scottish Highlander Prince Hairy Chest Chiseled Abs Man" who inconceivably falls for the sassy 42 year old, three children having American divorcee from Staten Island.

Second most popular, for reasons I am still unsure of, you have 'Amish Romance' novels. My only theory is that because these leave out the smutty sex scenes, housewives feel more comfortable taking them home to read in front of their husbands. They unfortunately do not feature sweaty, neck-bearded, top hat wearing men fucking their wives in the back of a horse buggy.

Third will be the broad 'ethnic-romance genre', dominated by writers like Zane, K'Wan, and Mary B Morrison. I remember one in particular by maybe Adrianne Byrd I skimmed through and noted that in the acknowledgements the person mentioned thanking Jesus and the support of their local parish, without whom none of this would be possible. Then the first chapter opened with "I couldn't believe I had waited until I was 55 years old to experience anal sex with a big dick for the first time," and well that was enough for me.

And that's not to say that men aren't checking out James Patterson and Clive Cussler by huge margins over 'classics' but from what I can see from the shelves, the Tolstoy/Dostoyevsky/Joyce tier stuff gets checked-out with greater frequency than the Virginia Woolf/Zora Neale Hurston stuff. Then again we have a waiting list 100-deep for the works of Rupi Kaur so maybe I am the brainlet after all. ...more

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Sep 03, 2020 M Jahangir kz rated it it was amazing

A small book in length, but in the book there is a complete road map to become the enlightened one. Will Durant is well known for putting the most difficult of the the ideas in the most profoundest and simple way.

This book is based on 6 essays, which are written in the most eloquent and lucid form.

The first chapter is names as Shameless worship of heroes, here Durant invites us to appreciate all the great things that the world has yet seen whether they be in any form, ideas, inventions, minds, ...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Ruth rated it it was ok

First, the idea that anyone can attempt to support a thesis such as this in less than 150 pages is laughable. Second, the author more than once, when faced with a staggering array of "greats" to whittle down to the ones that he thinks are the best of the best, cops out by encouraging the reader to "make his own lists," which rather defeats the purpose of reading the book, I'd say. Third, there are several totally subjective and sweeping philosophical/theological/sociological statements which rai ...more

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Nov 27, 2019 Ubaid Talpur rated it really liked it

This is an easy-to-understand book, This is a very short and useful book,this book tells About 10 Greatest philosophers & 10 Greatest Poets of history, book cites the top 100 books on education of Philosophy, book describes the ten most advanced events in human development, as well as the 12 most important events in history that changed the world.

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Apr 30, 2012 Winston Elliott III rated it it was amazing

From The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time by Will Durant:

"If I were rich I would have many books, and I would pamper myself with bindings bright to the eye and soft to the touch, in paper generously opaque, and type such as men designed when printing was very young.

I would dress my gods in leather and gold, and burn candles of worship before them at night, and string their names like beads on a rosary. I would have my library spacious and dark and cool, safe from alien sights and sounds, wit From The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time by Will Durant:

"If I were rich I would have many books, and I would pamper myself with bindings bright to the eye and soft to the touch, in paper generously opaque, and type such as men designed when printing was very young.

I would dress my gods in leather and gold, and burn candles of worship before them at night, and string their names like beads on a rosary. I would have my library spacious and dark and cool, safe from alien sights and sounds, with slender casements opening on quiet fields, voluptuous chairs inviting communion and reverie, shaded lamps illuminating sanctuaries here and there, and every inch of of the walls concealed with the mental heritage of our race. And there at any hour my hand or spirit would welcome my friends, if their souls were hungry and their hands were clean. In the center of the temple of my books I would gather the One Hundred Best of all the educative literature in the world.

I picture to myself a massive redwood table by the artists who carved the wood for King Henry's chapel at Westminster Abbey (I must be an old reactionary, for I abominate the hard materials that make our concrete homes and iron beds and desks today, and I find something organically responsive to my affection in everything made of wood.) Along the center of the table would stand a glass case protecting and yet revealing my One Hundred Best. I picture my friends treated comfortably there, occasional hours of every week, passing from volume to volume with loving leisureliness."

I too love important books beautifully bound. Will Durant may border on idolatry in this excerpt from chapter four of The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time, at least my wife suggested the possibility that this may be so. However, she was a gentle critic of this bibliophile exuberance since she knows her beloved husband would have written this essay himself if he had Mr. Durant's facility with words. Thank you Will Durant for this gift to all lovers of great books bound in gorgeous leather, well shelved in a library of dark wood and comfortable leather chairs. Let the contemplation of great ideas and beautiful words never end. Amen. ...more

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Jun 05, 2008 Doug Wells rated it it was amazing

Will Durant was an amazing historian. He and his wife Ariel wrote The Story of Civilization series. As well, he wrote a list of the top 100 books any historian should read (although there are many to be added since he died). This is a great, concise compilation...

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Jun 13, 2017 Sotiris Makrygiannis rated it really liked it

Shelves: internet

How happy to find this in youtube! brilliant.

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Oct 08, 2019 Michael Magy rated it really liked it

A SHAMELESS WORSHIP OF HEROES'

From

"The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Times"

By

Will Durant

Will Durant books featured prominently in my parents' library. His opus series, 'The Story of Civilization', beginning with volume one 'Our Oriental Heritage (1935) and ending with 'The Age of Napoleon' (1975) - co-written with his wife Ariel -were among my mother's favorites. Also in the library was his 'The Story of Philosophy.' I was at that time not inclined toward ...more

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Oct 22, 2019 Jamie rated it really liked it

Shelves: history

Will Durant’s list of the greatest thinkers, greatest poets, greatest books, and most important historical dates condenses decades of careful study into relatively few pages. I imagine him sitting down and writing this all without reference to a single source other than his mind. As fascinating as this short book is, it also serves double duty of being an excellent reservoir of recommendations for future reading. 4.5/5

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May 21, 2020 Ali Wurm rated it really liked it

Solid. However, nowadays I’d rather read a quick article covering the most influential ideas and people throughout the history and within the article have a “for more info on this point, read ....”

It was good to have Asian influences included. Even though it was brief they’re often left out altogether in historical overviews.
For its brevity, I think this served it purpose well.

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Jun 23, 2018 Raphael Amar rated it liked it

Durant's way of describing historical events in an almost poetic style is at first enthralling and amusing, but after a while it just gets outright nauseating. ...more

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Sep 17, 2019 Ghulam Fareed Wattoo rated it it was amazing

An excellent book

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Jan 23, 2019 Achi Arjevanidze rated it really liked it

Contains more than needed, nice for research.

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Apr 28, 2020 P rated it it was ok

Shelves: audiobooks

He left out Mark Twain. Of the hundreds of names of great writers and thinkers mentioned in this book, nowhere is Mark Twain's name to be found. Unforgivable. ...more

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Oct 19, 2020 Pradyuman Singh Rajput rated it really liked it

Complicated History From the Greatest Poets, Books and Dates

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May 27, 2020 Cliff Ward rated it it was amazing

Will Durant. Marvelous! Will and his wife dedicated forty solid years to touring the globe and writing the 'The Story of Civilization' which details 2500 years of history and philosophy. Fortunately we can listen to any volume of this creation on select topics from the Babylonian, Etruscan, Persian or Egyptian Empires right along to the life of Aristotle, Voltaire or Jesus Christ. Just search YouTube 'Rocky C'. I highly recommend listening to any of these when you are performing any boring task ...more

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Sep 17, 2020 Reagan Schrock rated it it was amazing

A fantastic little read. Completely worth every minute and it will certainly broaden your worldview. Also, I found Durant’s writing style to be beautifully delightful.

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Jun 03, 2018 Ariel rated it it was ok

Contains a few articles Durant wrote, thrown together in a book. It contains his reasons for including items on the lists but it doesn't have much discussion of ideas or concepts themselves. ...more

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Apr 21, 2015 Kelly rated it liked it

I read this first because it's Will Durant's shortest - before considering diving into his full 11-vol History of Civilization set. This felt very much like a descriptive outline without depth. That said, it was extremely well curated. A good intro to this author.

Capturing the key lists outlined in this book:

The Ten “Greatest” Thinkers: 1. CONFUCIUS. 2. PLATO. 3. ARISTOTLE. 4. SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS. 5. COPERNICUS. 6. SIR FRANCIS BACON. 7. SIR ISAAC NEWTON 8. VOLTAIRE. 9. IMMANUEL KANT. 10. CHARLE ...more

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Sep 07, 2014 deleted d rated it liked it

The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time by Will Durant

The short 130 page book was a very different read than what I'm used to. Will Durant writes poetically and talks about a lot of history and great people who changed it.
I felt like I was in history class again, but it was more interesting. Still I skipped some parts (at least I didn't ditch the entire thing like in high school lol).

I recommend the book if you're interested in a very short overview of important figures and events over history ...more

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Jan 23, 2008 J4 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorite-books

More people like Will Durrant are needed in our world. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Pulitzer Prize, he and his wife Ariel co-wrote the Declaration of Interdependence:

"ROOTED in freedom, bonded in the fellowship of danger, sharing everywhere a common human blood, we declare again that all men are brothers, and that mutual tolerance is the price of liberty." -Will Durrant-

-The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time -
Although outdated, this short book, is a summary of what Will D ...more

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May 15, 2018 Judith rated it liked it

This is an interesting little book by the author of an 11 volume " History of Civilization " so he knows whereof he speaks. He won the Pulitzer Prize and the Medal of Freedom and he is quite a brilliant philosopher. The book contains chapters that include: 10 greatest thinkers; 10 greatest poets; and 100 "best books for an education".

It's quite intimidating really to see what Durant considers you should be reading compared to what you'd like to read and/or are likely to read. If only I could in ...more

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Feb 13, 2020 John Turner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: self-help, audio

There just is not enough time in life to do all the study and read everything you desire. Will Durant has assembled a remarkable list of the Greatest Minds and the Greatest Ideas in the history of mankind. Great minds like Socrates, Aristotle and Plato to Lincoln, Thoreau and Darwin. The book includes lists of:

1. The One Hundred Best Books for an Education,
2. The Ten Greatest Thinkers,
3. The Ten Greatest Poets,
4. The Ten Peaks of Human Progress and
5. Twelve Vital Dates of Human History.

There is ...more

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Mar 25, 2014 Ahmed Assem rated it really liked it

Composed of a set of articles, this small book can be considered to be a peak inside Will Durant's mind. With his amaing style Durant offers us his selection of the greatest poets of all time, The greatest ideas of all time, The greatest thinkers of all time, The best one hundred books, and the most vital dates till his time. This small book can definitely be a gateway to Durant's gigantic masterpiece: The story of civilization. ...more

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Oct 07, 2015 Jennifer O'Leary rated it it was ok · review of another edition

One Man's Opioion

These are the brain pickings of a powerful intellect beyond its prime. Durant brings a strong euro-centric world view to his choices. His declared criteria are defined in barely-accessible academic jargon.

I was especially disappointed in the treatment of the Buddha, who is dismissed as a religious figure in one section and lauded as perhaps the most influential thinker of all time in another. ...more

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About Will Durant

Will Durant

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William James Durant was a prolific American writer, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for the 11-volume The Story of Civilization, written in collaboration with his wife Ariel and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for his book, The Story of Philosophy, written in 1926, which was considered "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy."

They were awarde ...more

Books by Will Durant

The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers

Our Oriental Heritage (The Story of Civilization, #1)

The Life of Greece (The Story of Civilization, #2)

The Story of Civilization (11 Volume Set)

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“The illustrious ancients,when they wished to make clear and to propagate the highest virtues in the world, put their states in proper order. Before putting their states in proper order, they regulated their families. Before regulating their families, they cultivated their own selves. Before cultivating their own selves, they perfected their souls. Before perfecting their souls, they tried to be sincere in their thoughts. Before trying to be sincere in their thoughts, they extended to the utmost their knowledge.” — 7 likes

“Stricken down with consumption in 1819, Keats, after weeks in bed, wrote to Fanny Brawne: “Now I have had opportunities of passing nights anxious and awake, I have found thoughts obtrude upon me.‘If I should die,’ said I to myself,‘I have left no immortal work behind me—nothing to make my friends proud of my memory—but I have loved the principle of beauty in all things, and if I had had time I would have made myself remembered.’” “If I had had time”—this is the tragedy of all great men. Keats never wrote anything of importance after that; nevertheless, his friends are remembered because of him, and he has left behind him poems as immortal as English, and more perfect than Shakespeare.We” — 3 likes

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