.png){kind=small}
Donald Kagan, an esteemed American historian, is best known for his expertise in classical history, particularly ancient Greece. Through his thorough analysis of historical events and his compelling writing, Kagan illuminated the dynamics of power, politics, and culture. His work not only deepened our understanding of history but also provided invaluable lessons on leadership, strategy, and diplomacy. Kagan's legacy serves as an inspiration to scholars, encouraging them to study history with rigor and insight, and to apply its lessons to contemporary issues.
"History had its own way of explaining things. The way historians explain things is by telling a story."
8
"Throughout the human experience people have read history because they felt that it was a pleasure and that it was in some way instructive. The profession of professor of history has taken it in a very different direction."
7
"All comparisons between America's current place in the world and anything legitimately called an empire in the past reveal ignorance and confusion about any reasonable meaning of the concept empire, especially the comparison with the Roman Empire."
7
"I can see that you are a true historian because you really always ought to ask that question about anybody at a different place or a different time: What's the same and what's different?"
10
"We, to some degree, are like what we are because we inherited certain things from the Greeks and the Romans. One of them that's so striking is the whole area of politics."