Good History Quotes

Good writing is almost the concomitant of good history. Literature and history were joined long since by the powers which shaped the human brain; we cannot put them asunder.

The only good histories are those that have been written by the persons themselves who commanded in the affairs whereof they write.

War makes rattling good history.

The only good histories are those written by those who had command in the events they describe.

War makes good history but peace is poor reading.

The Gospel is ‘Good News’, not ‘Good History’, because when it’s preached, it happens.

Indeed the general natural Tendency of Reading good History, must be, to fix in the Minds of Youth deep Impressions of the Beauty and Usefulness of Virtue of all Kinds, Publick Spirit, Fortitude.

There's a lot we should be able to learn from history. And yet history proves that we never do. In fact, the main lesson of history is that we never learn the lessons of history. This makes us look so stupid that few people care to read it. They'd rather not be reminded. Any good history book is mainly just a long list of mistakes, complete with names and dates. It's very embarrassing.

Any good history book is mainly just a long list of mistakes, complete with names and dates. It's very embarrassing.

History is life; he who has not lived, or has lived only enough to write a doctoral dissertation, is too inexperienced with life to write good history.

If good history is dispassionate history, it must naturally wait until the passions of the period subside.

Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being.

The antidote to feel-good history is not feel-bad history but honest and inclusive history.

A good history covers not only what was done, but the thought that went into the action. You can read the history of a country through its actions.

When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.

For almost half a century, Fermilab has occupied center stage as physicists have sought to understand the fundamental structure of the universe. The lab deserves a good history, and I'm happy to say that in this book it has one. The authors present a compelling, nuanced, and richly detailed account of the place from its beginnings to the present.