Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being. Ken Burns definedeprivegood Change image and share on social
The stories from 1975 on are not finished and there is no resolve. I could spend 50 hours on the last 25 years of jazz and still not do it justice. Ken Burns finishhourjazz Change image and share on social
I have made all my films for my children with the exception of my first film because my oldest daughter wasn't born when I was making the film about the Brooklyn Bridge. Ken Burns bearbridgebrooklyn Change image and share on social
I read cover to cover every jazz publication that I could and in the New York Times, every single day reading their jazz reviews even though I didn't put them in the films. I wanted to know what is going on. Ken Burns coverdayfilm share on social
I never, ever want to apologize for a film. If it's bad I'll say it's my fault. And that's what I can say so far in all the films that I've done, that if you don't like it, it's entirely my fault. Ken Burns apologizebadfault Change image and share on social
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. Ken Burns americacallcivil Change image and share on social
You can learn as much about the history from reading about the present as you can vice versa, that is learning about the present through history, which is what I do for a living. Ken Burns historylearnlive Change image and share on social
I have made a film about jazz that tries to look through jazz to see what it tells us about who we are as a people. I think that jazz is a spectacularly accurate model of democracy and a kind of look into our redemptive future possibilities. Ken Burns accuratedemocracyfilm share on social
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. Ken Burns activebadlybase Change image and share on social
I grew up certain for a while that I was going to be an anthropologist, until film turned my head. Ken Burns anthropologistfilmgrow Change image and share on social