3 Quotes & Sayings By John Bagot Glubb

John Bagot Glubb, CBE (22 July 1914 – 8 March 2007) was a British military officer, field commander and a writer. He was chiefly known as a military historian, writing books on the Middle East and the Anglo-Arabian campaign. He was also a noted Arabist, scholar of Arabic language and literature, and expert on Bedouin culture. He served in the Royal Engineers during World War II, reaching the rank of major before leaving the army in 1946.

1
Perhaps the most dangerous by-product of the Age of Intellect is the unconscious growth of the idea that the human brain can solve the problems of the world. Even on the low level of practical affairs this is patently untrue. Any small human activity, the local bowls club or the ladies’ luncheon club, requires for its survival a measure of self-sacrifice and service on the part of the members. In a wider national sphere, the survival of the nation depends basically on the loyalty and self‑sacrifice of the citizens. The impression that the situation can be saved by mental cleverness, without unselfishness or human self-dedication, can only lead to collapse. John Bagot Glubb
2
If we are considering the history of our own country, we write at length of the periods when our ancestors were prosperous and victorious, but we pass quickly over their shortcomings or their defeats. Our people are represented as patriotic heroes, their enemies as grasping imperialists, or subversive rebels. In other words, our national histories are propaganda, not well balanced investigation. John Bagot Glubb