The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge

by David McCullough

history is a great deal more than just politics and war.

among the many lessons of history is that little of consequence is ever accomplished alone.

it can be terribly dangerous, even perilous, to assume that because people hold positions of responsibility they are therefore acting responsibly.

People then were still inclined to form opinions more from experience than information and it was the experience of most Brooklyn people that between their city and the other one, there was no comparison.

“Ambitious natures are apt to be overconfident and to shrink from asking counsel of more experienced persons for fear their infallibility might be impugned,”

“An engineer who has not been educated as a spy or detective is no match for a rascal.”