Thomas Macaulay was a historian, author, and British Secretary of War.  He wrote a massive tome on the history of England from 1685-1702, covering 5 volumes.  He also wrote a collection of essays on various topics, compiled into a book entitled Critical and Historical Essays.  It is from this work that we draw today's quote.  
If you've ever felt like the world is coming to an end or that your or our way of life is threatened, Macaulay has salve for that concern.  The trajectory of the world is, in fact, upward, not downward.

Episode 145 - Poetry Explication #10: September 1, 1939 by W. H. Auden, Part 1

Quotations is about words, written and spoken throughout history.  Words speak to us through our eyes and our ears.  They enrich our lives, allow us to communicate thoughts to others, and sometimes, last for generations.  

This podcast explores not only the words, but the speaker, author, figure, or character who originated them.  To whom were they said or written?  What was their intended effect and on whom?  What was the originator thinking?  Find out each episode and we discover new quotations, some familiar, some not!