Quotes by Historian | Beyond Motive 5/35

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Quotes by Historian

"Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity."

"Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity."

Lord Acton, British Historian

Justice, Nothing, Publicity

59

"A fraudulent intent, however carefully concealed at the outset, will generally, in the end, betray itself."

"A fraudulent intent, however carefully concealed at the outset, will generally, in the end, betray itself."

Titus Livius, Roman Historian

Society, End, Will

59

"Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master."

"Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master."

Sallust, Roman Historian

Man, Men, Desire, Liberty

59

"Neither soldiers nor money can defend a king but only friends won by good deeds, merit, and honesty."

"Neither soldiers nor money can defend a king but only friends won by good deeds, merit, and honesty."

Sallust, Roman Historian

Friendship, Money, Honesty, Deeds, Friends

59

"Nothing we use or hear or touch can be expressed in words that equal what is given by the senses."

"Nothing we use or hear or touch can be expressed in words that equal what is given by the senses."

Hannah Arendt, German Historian

Nothing, Senses, Words

59

"Power is poison. Its effect on Presidents had always been tragic."

"Power is poison. Its effect on Presidents had always been tragic."

Henry B. Adams, American Historian

Power, Effect, Poison

59

"We see many who are struggling against adversity who are happy, and more although abounding in wealth, who are wretched."

"We see many who are struggling against adversity who are happy, and more although abounding in wealth, who are wretched."

Tacitus, Roman Historian

Wealth, Adversity

59

"A shocking crime was committed on the unscrupulous initiative of few individuals, with the blessing of more, and amid the passive acquiescence of all."

"A shocking crime was committed on the unscrupulous initiative of few individuals, with the blessing of more, and amid the passive acquiescence of all."

Tacitus, Roman Historian

59

"Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay."

"Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay."

Sallust, Roman Historian

59

"We can endure neither our vices nor the remedies for them."

"We can endure neither our vices nor the remedies for them."

Titus Livius, Roman Historian

Self-Improvement, Remedies, Vices

59

"Let us read with method, and propose to ourselves an end to which our studies may point. The use of reading is to aid us in thinking."

"Let us read with method, and propose to ourselves an end to which our studies may point. The use of reading is to aid us in thinking."

Edward Gibbon, English Historian

Education, End, May, Reading, Thinking

59

"I'm not a driven businessman, but a driven artist. I never think about money. Beautiful things make money."

"I'm not a driven businessman, but a driven artist. I never think about money. Beautiful things make money."

Lord Acton, British Historian

59

"The existence of inherent limits of experience in no way settles the question about the subordination of facts of the human world to our knowledge of matter."

"The existence of inherent limits of experience in no way settles the question about the subordination of facts of the human world to our knowledge of matter."

Wilhelm Dilthey, German Historian

Experience, Knowledge, Existence, Facts

59

"He had a wonderful talent for packing thought close, and rendering it portable."

"He had a wonderful talent for packing thought close, and rendering it portable."

Thomas B. Macaulay, English Historian

Talent, Thought

58

"Skepticism is an important historical tool. It is the starting point of all revision of hitherto accepted history."

"Skepticism is an important historical tool. It is the starting point of all revision of hitherto accepted history."

Samuel E. Morison, American Historian

History, Skepticism

58

"It has always appeared to me, that there is so much to be done in this world, that all self-inflicted suffering which cannot be turned to good account for others, is a loss - a loss, if you may so express it, to the spiritual world."

"It has always appeared to me, that there is so much to be done in this world, that all self-inflicted suffering which cannot be turned to good account for others, is a loss - a loss, if you may so express it, to the spiritual world."

Arthur Helps, British Historian

Loss, May, Self, Spiritual

58

"As parties began to develop around the turn of the 19th century, you had party nominees for President nominated in caucuses made up of party members in Congress."

"As parties began to develop around the turn of the 19th century, you had party nominees for President nominated in caucuses made up of party members in Congress."

Michael Beschloss, American Historian

Congress, Party, President

58

"Is boredom anything less than the sense of one's faculties slowly dying?"

"Is boredom anything less than the sense of one's faculties slowly dying?"

Arthur Helps, British Historian

Boredom, Dying, Sense

58

"History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind."

"History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind."

Edward Gibbon, English Historian

History, Mankind

58

"Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight."

"Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight."

Hannah Arendt, German Historian

Peace, Delight, Desire, Mind

58

"He only seems to me to live, and to make proper use of life, who sets himself some serious work to do, and seeks the credit of a task well and skillfully performed."

"He only seems to me to live, and to make proper use of life, who sets himself some serious work to do, and seeks the credit of a task well and skillfully performed."

Sallust, Roman Historian

Life, Work, Credit

58

"The primary source of the appeal of Christianity was Jesus - His incarnation, His life, His crucifixion, and His resurrection."

"The primary source of the appeal of Christianity was Jesus - His incarnation, His life, His crucifixion, and His resurrection."

Kenneth Scott Latourette, American Historian

Life, Christianity

58

"No crime can ever be defended on rational grounds."

"No crime can ever be defended on rational grounds."

Titus Livius, Roman Historian

58

"Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards."

"Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards."

Tacitus, Roman Historian

Chance, Cowards, Rules, Service

58

"First of all, you can make the argument that there's no such thing as the past. Nobody lived in the past."

"First of all, you can make the argument that there's no such thing as the past. Nobody lived in the past."

David McCullough, American Historian

Argument, First, Past

58

"Men's fortunes are on a wheel, which in its turning suffers not the same man to prosper for ever."

"Men's fortunes are on a wheel, which in its turning suffers not the same man to prosper for ever."

Herodotus, Greek Historian

58

"To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy."

"To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy."

Will Durant, American Historian

Art, Diplomacy, Nothing

58

"With the Germans, the sovereignty resided in the great assembly of the people."

"With the Germans, the sovereignty resided in the great assembly of the people."

John Lothrop Motley, American Historian

58

"Besides paid white laborers, there was everywhere a class of white servants bound without wages for a term of years, and a more miserable class of Negro slaves."

"Besides paid white laborers, there was everywhere a class of white servants bound without wages for a term of years, and a more miserable class of Negro slaves."

Albert Bushnell Hart, American Historian

History, Class, Wages, Years

58

"Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul."

"Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul."

Will Durant, American Historian

Soul, Knowledge, Desire, Eye

58

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one."

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one."

James Anthony Froude, English Historian

Dream, Character

57

"Human blunders usually do more to shape history than human wickedness."

"Human blunders usually do more to shape history than human wickedness."

A. J. P. Taylor, British Historian

History, Wickedness

57

"Psychoanalysts believe that the only 'normal' people are those who cause no trouble either to themselves or anyone else."

"Psychoanalysts believe that the only 'normal' people are those who cause no trouble either to themselves or anyone else."

A. J. P. Taylor, British Historian

People, Cause, Trouble

57

"Overall, the anarchy was the most creative of all periods of Japanese culture for in it there appeared the greatest landscape painting, the culmination of the skill of landscape gardening and the arts of flower arrangement, and the No drama."

"Overall, the anarchy was the most creative of all periods of Japanese culture for in it there appeared the greatest landscape painting, the culmination of the skill of landscape gardening and the arts of flower arrangement, and the No drama."

J. M. Roberts, British Historian

Gardening, Anarchy, Culture, Drama

57

"Do as much as possible, and talk of yourself as little as possible."

"Do as much as possible, and talk of yourself as little as possible."

Sallust, Roman Historian

57

"Everywhere among the English-speaking race criminal justice was rude, and punishments were barbarous; but the tendency was to do away with special privileges and legal exemptions."

"Everywhere among the English-speaking race criminal justice was rude, and punishments were barbarous; but the tendency was to do away with special privileges and legal exemptions."

Albert Bushnell Hart, American Historian

Legal, English, Justice, Race

57

"Still the question remains of what actually speaks in a poem, if not subjectivity as historically constructed."

"Still the question remains of what actually speaks in a poem, if not subjectivity as historically constructed."

Thomas Harrison, American Historian

57

"We have almost succeeded in leveling all human activities to the common denominator of securing the necessities of life and providing for their abundance."

"We have almost succeeded in leveling all human activities to the common denominator of securing the necessities of life and providing for their abundance."

Hannah Arendt, German Historian

Life, Abundance

57

"Hence I think it is that democracies change into aristocracies, and these at length into monarchies,' people at last prefer tyranny to chaos. Equality of power is an unstable condition; men are by nature unequal; and 'he who seeks equality between unequals seeks an absurdity.' Democracy has still to solve the problem of enlisting the best energies of men while giving to all alike the choice of those, among the trained and fit, by whom they wish to be ruled."

"Hence I think it is that democracies change into aristocracies, and these at length into monarchies,' people at last prefer tyranny to chaos. Equality of power is an unstable condition; men are by nature unequal; and 'he who seeks equality between unequals seeks an absurdity.' Democracy has still to solve the problem of enlisting the best energies of men while giving to all alike the choice of those, among the trained and fit, by whom they wish to be ruled."

Will Durant, American Historian

Politics, Power, Democracy, Observation

57

"Even a pacifist should admire the military virtues."

"Even a pacifist should admire the military virtues."

John Keegan, English Historian

57

"Often, what you see in the media is driven by economic forces."

"Often, what you see in the media is driven by economic forces."

Iris Chang, Chinese Historian

57

"America is supposed to be given over to ugliness. There are a good many ugly things there and the ugliest are the most pretentious."

"America is supposed to be given over to ugliness. There are a good many ugly things there and the ugliest are the most pretentious."

Goldwin Smith, Canadian Historian

Criticism, America, Ugliness, Ugly

57

"Miracles happen to those who believe in them."

"Miracles happen to those who believe in them."

Bernard Berenson, American Historian

Belief, Miracles

57

"No person is ever good for much, that hasn't been swept off their feet by enthusiasm between ages twenty and thirty."

"No person is ever good for much, that hasn't been swept off their feet by enthusiasm between ages twenty and thirty."

James Anthony Froude, English Historian

Enthusiasm, Feet

57

"I do not believe that civilizations have to die because civilization is not an organism. It is a product of wills."

"I do not believe that civilizations have to die because civilization is not an organism. It is a product of wills."

Arnold J. Toynbee, British Historian

57

"Expansion means complexity and complexity decay."

"Expansion means complexity and complexity decay."

C. Northcote Parkinson, British Historian

57

"The individual always realizes only one of the possibilities in its development, which could always have taken a different turning whenever it has to make an important decision."

"The individual always realizes only one of the possibilities in its development, which could always have taken a different turning whenever it has to make an important decision."

Wilhelm Dilthey, German Historian

Development, Decision, Possibilities

57

"Above all nations is humanity."

"Above all nations is humanity."

Goldwin Smith, Canadian Historian

Humanity, Nations

57

"Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average or to surrender to the chill of your spiritual environment."

"Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average or to surrender to the chill of your spiritual environment."

Arthur Helps, British Historian

Heart, Environment, Feet, Spiritual

57

"You have reckoned that history ought to judge the past and to instruct the contemporary world as to the future. The present attempt does not yield to that high office. It will merely tell how it really was."

"You have reckoned that history ought to judge the past and to instruct the contemporary world as to the future. The present attempt does not yield to that high office. It will merely tell how it really was."

Leopold Von Ranke, German Historian

History, Future, Office, Past

57

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