37 Margaret MacMillan Quotes for You to Enjoy

Margaret MacMillan

Canadian Historian

Born: Dec 23, 1943

History People War Women World You

Related authors: Alexis de Tocqueville Hannah Arendt Herodotus Tacitus Tara Westover Thucydides Will Durant Yuval Noah Harari

An apology offered and, equally important, received is a step towards reconciliation and, sometimes, recompense. Without that process, hurts can rankle and fester and erupt into their own hatreds and wrongdoings. Margaret MacMillan

Sometimes Hurts Important Own Recompense Reconciliation Step Towards Equally Without Erupt Fester Offered Process Apology Received

Many in the English-speaking world came to agree with the Germans that the Treaty of Versailles, and the reparations in particular, were unjust, and that Lloyd George had capitulated to the vengeful French. Margaret MacMillan

World Unjust Had Particular Vengeful French Reparations Came George Were Versailles Germans Many Agree English-Speaking Treaty

How can even the best novelist or playwright invent someone like Augustus Caesar or Catherine the Great, Galileo or Florence Nightingale? How can screenwriters create better action stories or human dramas than exist, thousand upon thousand, throughout the many centuries of recorded history? Margaret MacMillan

Best Great History Better Invent Action Playwright Dramas Thousand Someone Recorded Throughout Caesar Like Catherine How Exist Than Human Stories Galileo Centuries Create Many Even Novelist Florence

For many human beings, an interest in the past starts with themselves. That is, in part, a result of biology. Like other creatures, humans have a beginning and an ending, and in between lies their story. Margaret MacMillan

I'm always wary of the lessons of the past. There's a lot of past out there, and you can draw whatever lessons you want. Margaret MacMillan

You Past Whatever Draw Out Always Lot Want Lessons Wary

History does not produce definitive answers for all time. It is a process. Margaret MacMillan

Time History Definitive All-Time Does Answers Process Produce

The 1898 annexation of the Hawaiian Islands merely formally recognized what had long been American domination. Margaret MacMillan

Long Recognized Hawaiian Had Merely Islands Been Domination American

It is true that large parts of the world have not had to endure state-to-state wars for decades. The majority of the world's nations have also been spared the scourge of civil wars, although many have known violence from revolutionary insurrection. Margaret MacMillan

The range of weapons at the disposal of military powers is terrifying in its capacity to damage the world and its inhabitants, perhaps even to bring humanity's long story to its end. Margaret MacMillan

Humanity World Long Military Range Weapons Long Story Perhaps Powers Terrifying End Story Capacity Inhabitants Even Disposal Bring Damage

As a child, I had loved history because it showed so many alternative worlds. Margaret MacMillan

History Worlds Had Alternative Because Child Loved Many

I still remember with gratitude a series for children on everyday life where we learned about the games children in other times had played and the food they ate. Margaret MacMillan

Life Food Gratitude Remember Everyday Life Other Everyday Ate About Had Learned Still Times Where Children Games Series Played

The Italian futurists, the German expressionists, and the British vorticists were fascinated by speed and the ways the modern world was shattering conventions. The old ways of painting, writing, sculpting, and composing no longer seemed adequate to capture the world. Margaret MacMillan

We can prevent fighting by limiting weapons or finding nonviolent ways to end disputes. Margaret MacMillan

Fighting Ways Finding Weapons Prevent Limiting Nonviolent End Disputes

How curious that such an outsize man, in physique as well as personality, should be remembered today mainly for giving his name to a small fish. For the 19th century, Bismarck was no herring but a leviathan. Between 1862 and 1890, he created Germany, seeing off first the Austrian empire and then France. Margaret MacMillan

Today Man Personality Giving First Herring France Seeing Small Small Fish Physique He Remembered Mainly Between Empire Name Well How Fish His Off Germany Curious Century Then Created Should

The Canadian government has had a field day apologising for past policies towards a series of ethnic groups: Italian, Ukrainian, Sikh, Chinese, Japanese and Jews. Margaret MacMillan

Government Day Past Field Jews Ukrainian Had Towards Policies Italian Canadian Chinese Japanese Ethnic Ethnic Groups Groups Series

The only person, if you're a religious person, who's always right is God. And if you make the mistake of thinking that you, like God, are always right, and that you, like God, always know everything, then it seems to me you're riding for a fall. Margaret MacMillan

God Me You Mistake Fall Thinking Everything Religious Religious Person Seems Only Like Know Make Always Person Then Riding Right

Poor little Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, or whatever her name is. It must be incredible at that age to be surrounded by people telling you you're wonderful. Margaret MacMillan

You Age People Wonderful Whatever Britney Britney Spears Incredible Telling Must Name Lindsay Lindsay Lohan Surrounded Little Poor Spears Her

When I sat down to make a list of characters in history who exhibited curiosity, most were women. I thought it was sheer accident, and then I began to wonder. Margaret MacMillan

History Women Thought Accident Down Characters Most Make Sheer Were Began Wonder Curiosity List Then Who Sat

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. Margaret MacMillan

History You Try Think Everyone Give Something Write Scholarly Also Up Want Hard Standards Belongs

Use it, enjoy it, but always handle history with care. Margaret MacMillan

History Care Enjoy Always Handle Use

If we don't take responsibility for each other, it seems to me the future is going to be even bleaker. Margaret MacMillan

Future Me Responsibility Other Seems Take Going Even Each

I'm not sure I'm going to say that women and men are exactly the same. I think we may have different ways of approaching things, different sensitivities, and women are often better than men at picking up emotional cues. Margaret MacMillan

Women Better Approaching Men Think Say Ways Exactly Exactly The Same Emotional Picking Sure Women And Men Women Are Up Than Same Going May Often Different Different Ways Things

Living through times of rapid change can be exhilarating, but it also can be very difficult. Margaret MacMillan

Change Living Difficult Rapid Through Also Exhilarating Very Times

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