Even in the stable and prosperous times of the Roman Empire, literacy rates, by our standards at least, were not high. As the empire crumbled, as cities decayed, trade declined, and the increasingly anxious populace scanned the horizon for barbarian armies, the whole Roman system of elementary and higher education fell apart.
-- Stephen Greenblatt (chapter 2 paragraph 3)

Importance: This quote describes the circumstances that led to a downfall of civilization when the Roman Empire collapsed making the way for illiterate barbarians to conquer the known world at the time. It is a message for today’s world that the lack of education can lead to the rise of violent and savage hordes.

I have all boastful conversation, all flattery, all exaggeration. May I be kept from taking pride in dreams of self-exaltation or vainglory.
-- Bartolomeo de Aragazzi (chapter 2 paragraph 31)

Importance: Bartolomeo de Aragazzi was a friend and fellow-scribe of Poggio Bracciolini. They traveled together in seeking manuscripts to copy. In addition to...