Gerald James Whitrow, Time in History: Views of Time from Prehistory to the Present Day (1988) p. 111.
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In the early and high Middle Ages it had been possible to spend many tens and even hundreds of years on erecting a single building... This was possible because human life was regarded as primarily the life of the community in which one generation quietly succeeded another... All this was destined to change in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance period. Even in painting the time factor made itself felt... causing painting a secco to replace al fresco... since the very long apprenticeship... could not be maintained, and a successful painter had to work fast...

— Gerald James Whitrow on Middle Ages

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "In the early and high Middle Ages it had been possible to spend many tens and even hundreds of years on erecting a single building... This was possible because human life was regarded as primarily the life of the community in which one generation quietly succeeded another... All this was destined to change in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance period. Even in painting the time factor made itself felt... causing painting a secco to replace al fresco... since the very long apprenticeship... could not be maintained, and a successful painter had to work fast..." in the context of "Gerald James Whitrow, Time in History: Views of Time from Prehistory to the Present Day (1988) p. 111." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Middle Ages" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Gerald James Whitrow

About Gerald James Whitrow

Gerald James Whitrow (9 June 1912 – 2 June 2000) or G. J. Whitrow, was a British mathematician, cosmologist and historian of science.