1897 quotes by historians for you to enjoy

Young people have to learn in a cocoon filled with false optimism. Unlike their parents and grandparents, they grow up with very little sense of the pitiless passage of time. Norman Davies

Time People Parents Young Sense Unlike Learn Passage False Up Optimism Very Young People Little Grandparents Grow Filled Grow Up Cocoon

None of Europe's modern nations are genuinely native. Norman Davies

None Genuinely Modern Nations Native Europe

I happen to belong to that group opinion which holds the break-up of the United Kingdom to be imminent. Norman Davies

Group Imminent Kingdom Opinion Happen Holds Which United United Kingdom Belong

The advance of standard English culture was less assisted by government policy than by the sheer weight, wealth, and number of England's well-established cultural institutions. Norman Davies

Government Culture Wealth Weight Advance Institutions Policy Sheer Cultural Than Standard Less England English Assisted Number

The historical profession is nowhere famous for its tolerance, but there are not many countries where historians can expect to pay for their opinions with penal servitude or the firing squad. Norman Davies

Pay Tolerance Firing Countries Opinions Historians Historical Squad Expect Famous Where Profession Many Nowhere Servitude

I can just remember the blitz of Manchester, or perhaps my father's tales about the blitz of Manchester. I can remember the blackout, the powdered eggs, and the gas masks. But I think no British person should pretend that being resident in England could count as being in the thick of the action. Norman Davies

Remember Father Action Think Pretend About Blackout Could Count Masks Perhaps Tales Blitz Person Eggs Manchester Just Being Should England Thick Resident Gas British

The Black Sea is Eastern Europe's counterpart to the Mediterranean. Norman Davies

Black Mediterranean Eastern Counterpart Sea Europe

Capacity of human societies both to absorb and to discard cultures is much underestimated. Norman Davies

Both Absorb Underestimated Discard Cultures Human Capacity Much Societies

Northern Ireland must, in future, be absorbed into the Irish republic. Wales and Scotland must advance from devolution to full independent status. The four nations of these islands must commit themselves absolutely to the project of a United Europe. Norman Davies

Future Project Independent Must Status Absolutely Advance Absorb Islands Ireland Irish Wales Scotland Commit Northern Northern Ireland Nations Republic Themselves Full Europe United Four

In the 21st century, there will probably be a reflex against the disintegration of traditional European culture. What started as a reaction will come full circle, and there will be a return to the roots. Norman Davies

Culture Circle Will Come Reaction Return Traditional Reflex Against Disintegration Century Roots Full European Started

For people familiar with Eastern Europe, Marci Shore's 'The Taste of Ashes' is, in spite of its subject matter, delicious. A professor at Yale with much experience in Eastern Europe, she writes with great sureness of touch, weaving personal recollections with intellectual commentary and ideas with emotions, including her own. Norman Davies

Great Experience People Emotions Matter Own Eastern Eastern Europe Weaving Touch Delicious Spite Writes Ideas She Yale Subject Subject Matter Intellectual Commentary Familiar Personal Taste Shore Ashes Much Europe Including Professor Her

I find nothing more depressing than optimism. Paul Fussell

Nothing Find More Optimism Than Depressing

The more violent the body contact of the sports you watch, the lower the class. Paul Fussell

You Class Sports More Contact Lower Body Watch Violent

Americans are the only people in the world known to me whose status anxiety prompts them to advertise their college and university affiliations in the rear window of their automobiles. Paul Fussell

Me People Anxiety World Car College Status Window Only Advertise Known American Automobiles Them Rear Whose University

Every historian has informally an anthropology, without ever using the word. Peter Gay

Word Every Without Anthropology Historian Using Ever

What interests me, and has always interested me, has been modernism. Peter Gay

Me Has-Been Always Been Interested Modernism Interests

To have a liberal temperament is a kind of psychological boon, To be able to understand that someone you disagree with is not just a terrible creature but somebody with whom you disagree. Peter Gay

You Disagree Somebody Liberal Boon Kind Temperament Able Someone Terrible Understand Just Psychological Whom Creature

Greatness is so often a courteous synonym for great success. Philip Guedalla

Success Great Synonym Great Success Courteous Greatness Often

Biography, like big game hunting, is one of the recognized forms of sport, and it is as unfair as only sport can be. Philip Guedalla

Game Big Unfair Recognized Hunting Only Like Sport Forms Biography

For the mob, habituated to feed at the expense of others, and to have its hopes of a livelihood in the property of its neighbors, as soon as it has got a leader sufficiently ambitious and daring, being excluded by poverty from the sweets of civil honors, produces a reign of mere violence. Polybius

Property Poverty Leader Others Honors Neighbors Daring Hopes Civil Feed Mere Soon Excluded Got Mob Ambitious Expense Being Produces Sweets Reign Livelihood Sufficiently Violence

When scandals proliferate, human beings become so obsessed with their rivals that they lose sight of the objects for which they compete and begin to focus angrily on one another. Rene Girard

Focus Become Lose Proliferate Sight Scandals Objects Rivals Obsessed Another Begin Human Human Beings Which Beings Compete

Quotes by Historians