Know thy history. Let it horrify you; let it inspire you.
I believe that history has shape, order, and meaning; that exceptional men, as much as economic forces, produce change; and that passe abstractions like beauty, nobility, and greatness have a shifting but continuing validity.
The megalomaniac differs from the narcissist by the fact that he wishes to be powerful rather than charming, and seeks to be feared rather than loved. To this type belong many lunatics and most of the great men of history.
I can’t change history, I don’t want to change history. I can only change the future. I’m working on that.
We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.
If we look to the history of other nations, ancient or modern, we find no example of a growth so rapid, so gigantic, of a people so prosperous and happy.
This is our history – from the Transcontinental Railroad to the Hoover Dam, to the dredging of our ports and building of our most historic bridges – our American ancestors prioritized growth and investment in our nation’s infrastructure.
What does the artist do? He draws connections. He ties the invisible threads between things. He dives into history, be it the history of mankind, the geological history of the Earth or the beginning and end of the manifest cosmos.
Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so joined together, let no man put asunder.
We’re at unique point in history where the things that we are building are going to significantly impact our social, political, economical, and personal lives.
History is for all of us to discuss. All history is our common heritage to discuss and analyze. The founding of the state of Israel, for example, based on ethnic cleansing is there for us all to discuss.
Without history we are nothing, so it’s worth finding out something about it.
I do write long, long character notes – family background, history, details of appearance – much more than will ever appear in the novel. I think this is what lifts a book from that early calculated, artificial stage.
History has shown that Big Government expands quickest in the immediate aftermath of a crisis – real or manufactured.
History is the best guide to the future.
Anne Boleyn was a warrior forced to use the only tools available to a woman in her position at that time. She was bold and ambitious, and had she had a son, history would have been very different.
History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.
History belongs to everyone. I don’t think you have to give up scholarly standards. But I also don’t think you want to write something that is impenetrable. You try as hard as you can to be readable.
We have a long, ugly history of white supremacy in this country, ranging from Jim Crow laws to keep African Americans down to the 1924 Immigration Act to keep non-Europeans out.
Crafts make us feel rooted, give us a sense of belonging and connect us with our history. Our ancestors used to create these crafts out of necessity, and now we do them for fun, to make money and to express ourselves.
Every single immigrant is part of a larger history that needs to be communicated in all its ambivalences and complexities.
All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing.
Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!
What fascinates me are the turning points where history could have been different.
As people get more desperate, history suggests that they’re not going to rise in a mighty proletarian tidal wave and wash away their oppressors. They’re gonna turn on each other.
