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History Quotes

  • History ~  Are your eyes wide open to view through windows from the past, and to look into the vicissitudes of the future?

    From the time I was young, history, was a fascinating subject for me and until this day, it still is.  I read James Michener's book, Centennial in eighth grade, just as an example of my early passion for history.  If you haven't been introduced to that book, it's an undertaking, in paperback, 1056 pages, yes, I looked it up  I'm not a person that lives in the past and won't join the future, but I am a person that views historical documents and facts from the past as relevant content to process, philosophize, study, form opinions and in the most basic sense, learn what and why the events took place, and consider how the end result would have been different had the event took an altered course by random variables.

    The original quote of "not repeating the past", came from George Santayana in 1905.

    "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it", George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905.

    "Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it", Winston Churchill, Speech to the House of Commons, 1948; paraphrased, George Santayana.

    The quote by George Santayana and later paraphrased by Winston Churchill, sums up the necessity of the study of history in a profound sentence. 

    "He that deceives me once, it's his fault; but if twice, it's my fault."  Anthony Weldon, The Court and Character of King James, 1651, an old Italian proverb.

    "United we stand, divided we fall", not exactly historically said, but it's actual origin is interesting. 

    Wondering who said, "United we stand, divided we fall"? While it seems like this phrase would be the war cry of a famous soldier, its actual first recorded use dates back to Aesop and his fables. This quote can be found as a direct statement in The Four Oxen and the Lion. It can also be found indirectly in The Bundle of Sticks. This quote can also be associated with a variety of public figures throughout early American history, as well as modern writers and musicians who have used it to make an impact on their audience.

     

    Another history related quote from Oscar Wilde:

    Anybody can make history.  Only a great man can write it.

     

    From Martin Luther King, Jr.

    We are not makers of history.  We are made by history.

    Learning from the past to prevent a negative result or unwanted failure in the future is an important aspect to add to your wisdom tool box.  I subscribe to the lessons from the past to better understand the future and above all create the most harmony possible in today's modern world.

     

Comments

5 comments
  • Web Diva If you are fascinated about the pyramids and how they were built, this is a good article: Journeys of the Pyramid Builders: https://www.archaeology.org/issues/473-2207/features/10601-egypt-wadi-el-jarf-port-papyri
  • Techi Jedi Always have been fascinated with archaeology. Kind of a contradiction to the tech side of me.
  • Web Diva Me too, since I was old enough to walk and see the pyramids on TV, I was hooked. I'm fascinated by so many era's of archeology, time lines and both the anthropology part and even the dinosaur periods..
  • Web Diva "United we stand, divided we fall" is actually from a fable, "The Four Oxen and a Lion".