Quotes About History

Whether Jesus rose or not isn't affected by the brutality, chauvinism, or downright tediousness of his followers through the ages. It's a matter of mere history: the fact or fallacy of the resurrection is in the same class of alleged facts as the contention that the battle of Agincourt was fought in 1415, or that I caught the 0856 train this morning. And so it is subject to the same sort of historical inquiry.

Social progress and changes of historical period take place in proportion to the advance of women toward liberty, and social decline occurs as a result of the diminution of the liberty of women.

All equally see in the convulsion in America an era in the history of the world, out of which must come in the end a general recognition of the right of mankind to the produce of their labor and the pursuit of happiness.

Very few have any conception of the degree to which gypsies have been the colporteurs of what in Italy is called "the old faith," or witchcraft.

Everything that can be invented, has been invented.

It appears that the charts must have originated with a people unknown; that they were passed on, perhaps by the Minoans (the Sea Kings of ancient Crete) and the Phoenicians, who were for a thousand years and more the greatest sailors of the ancient world. We have evidence that they were collected and studied in the great library of Alexandria and that compilations of them were made by the greographers who worked there.

The Greek geographers of Alexandria, when they prepared their world map using the circumference of Eratosthenes, had in front of them source maps that had been drawn without the Eratosthenian error, that is, apparently without any discernible error at all. We shall see further evidence of this, evidence suggesting that the people who originated the maps possessed a more advanced science than that of the Greeks.

No matter who you are, some scholar can show you the great idea you had was had by someone before you.

No man is rich enough to buy back his past.

Stay on top of your past so you can have a better view of your future.

You are going to be fine — you come from a long line of lunatics.

We could use up two Eternities in learning all that is to be learned about our own world and the thousands of nations that have arisen and flourished and vanished from it. Mathematics alone would occupy me eight million years.

Such histories as these do, in reality, very much resemble a newspaper, which consists of just the same number of words, whether there be any news in it or not...

The problem you had wished to propose to me was one which I could not have solved; for I know nothing of the facts. I read no newspaper now but Ritchie's, and in that chiefly the advertisements, for they contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper. I feel a much greater interest in knowing what passed two or three thousand years ago, than in what is now passing.

Our names are labels, plainly printed on the bottled essence of our past behaviour.

Flawed past is history; flawed present is opportunity.

Photographs are wordless history.

Disrespect for poets is a kind of tradition.

This country has gotten where it is in spite of politics, not by the aid of it.

History is merely gossip. But scandal is gossip made tedious by morality.

Conservative: One who admires radicals a century after they're dead.

Year 2020 Humor. — Kids in the future will have to endure an entire school year of History class devoted just to the year 2020.

Future of America. — Perhaps America will one day go fascist democratically, by popular vote.

Medical History & Future. — A Short History of Medicine: 2000 B.C. – "Here, eat this root." 1000 B.C. – "That root is heathen, say this prayer." 1850 A.D. – "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion." 1940 A.D. – "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill." 1985 A.D. – "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic." 2000 A.D. – "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root."