Home / Topics / History Quotes

History Quotes

Browse 6202 quotes about History.

History Quotes

“Nature in no case cometh short of art, for the arts are copiers of natural forms.”

Art Philosophy Form Natural History Cases Natural Forms Copiers

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“The knowledge that is suited to our situation and powers, the whole compass of moral, natural, and mathematical science, was neglected by the new Platonists; whilst they exhausted their strength in the verbal disputes of metaphysics, attempted to explore the secrets of the invisible world, and studied to reconcile Aristotle with Plato, on subjects of which both these philosophers were as ignorant as the rest of mankind.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“There are two very natural propensities which we may distinguish in the most virtuous and liberal dispositions, the love of pleasure and the love of action. If the former is refined by art and learning, improved by the charms of social intercourse, and corrected by a just regard to economy, to health, and to reputation, it is productive of the greatest part of the happiness of private life.”

Source: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire V1: the History Focus

“But the human character, however it may be exalted or depressed by a temporary enthusiasm, will return by degrees to its proper and natural level, and will resume those passions that seem the most adapted to its present condition.”

Humans May Character Seems Passion Natural Levels History Conditions Return Degrees Enthusiasm Temporary Exalted Adapted Roman Empire Resumes

Book:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The slightest force, when it is applied to assist and guide the natural descent of its object, operates with irresistible weight; and Jovian had the good fortune to embrace the religious opinions which were supported by the spirit of the times and the zeal and numbers of the most powerful sect. Under his reign, Christianity obtained an easy and lasting victory; and, as soon as the smile of royal patronage was withdrawn, the genius of Paganism, which had been fondly raised and cherished by the arts of Julian, sunk irrecoverably in the dust.”

Source: THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (All 6 Volumes): From the Height of the Roman Empire, the Age of Trajan and the Antonines - to the Fall of Byzantium; Including a Review of the Crusades, and the State of Rome during the Middle Ages

“... the word "theory" ... was originally an Orphic word, which Cornford interprets as "passionate sympathetic contemplation" ... For Pythagoras, the "passionate sympathetic contemplation" was intellectual, and issued in mathematical knowledge ... To those who have reluctantly learnt a little mathematics in school this may seem strange; but to those who have experienced the intoxicating delight of sudden understanding that mathematics gives, from time to time, to those who love it, the Pythagorean view will seem completely natural.”

Giving May Littles Seems School Understanding Natural Views History Strange Theory Intellectual Mathematics Passionate Delight Mathematical Contemplation Sympathetic

Book:History of Western Philosophy

Source: History of Western Philosophy

“The scientific observer of the realm of nature is in a sense naturally and inevitably disinterested. At least, nothing in the natural scene can arouse his bias. Furthermore, he stands completely outside of the natural so that his mind, whatever his limitations, approximates pure mind. The observer of the realm of history cannot be disinterested in the same way, for two reasons: first, he must look at history from some locus in history; secondly, he is to a certain degree engaged in its ideological conflicts.”

Way Mind Firsts Looks Two Reason Science Certain Natural History Scene Pure Conflict Degrees Limitation Realms Engaged Bias Observers Ideological Disinterested

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“The two basic maxims of the so-called historical criticism are the postulate of the common and the axiom of the ordinary. Postulate of the common: everything really great, good, and beautiful, is improbable, since it is extraordinary and therefore at least suspect. Axiom of the ordinary: our conditions and environment must have existed everywhere, for they are really so natural.”

Two Beautiful Natural Common History Environment Conditions Ordinary Criticism Historical Extraordinary Suspects Really Great Maxims Axioms Improbable

Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel

“Hitler, who founded the Third Reich, who ruled it ruthlessly and often with uncommon shrewdness, who led it to such dizzy heights and such a sorry end, was a person of undoubted, if evil genius. It is true that in the German people, as a mysterious Providence and centuries of experience had molded them up to that time, he found a natural instrument which he was able to shape to his own sinister ends.”

Source: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

“History ... may be regarded as an artificial extension and : broadening of our memories and may be used to overcome the natural bewilderment of all unfamiliar situations.”

May Used Natural Memories Situation History Overcoming Artificial Extensions Our Memories Unfamiliar Bewilderment

Book:The New History: Essays Illustrating the Modern Historical Outlook

Source: The New History: Essays Illustrating the Modern Historical Outlook

“Great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men.”

Men Two Water Natural Enemy History Stupid Architecture Stupid Men Natural Enemies

Author:Richard Nickel

“Animals are molded by natural forces they do not comprehend. To their minds there is no past and no future. There is only the everlasting present of a single generation, its trails in the forest, its hidden pathways in the the air and in the sea. There is nothing in the Universe more alone than Man. He has entered into the strange world of history.”

Men World Mind Past Universe Force Natural Animal History Generations Air Sea Strange Forests Everlasting Trails Pathways Strange World

Author:Loren Eiseley

“There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm.”

Spirit Natural History Environment Mystery Environmental Delight Presidential Charm Wilderness Melancholy Next Generation Natural Resources Natural Environment Nature And Environment Nature Conservation

Book:African Game Trails: An Account of the African Wanderings of an American Hunter-naturalist

Source: African Game Trails: An Account of the African Wanderings of an American Hunter-naturalist

“The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased; and not impaired in value.”

Source: Theodore Roosevelt on Bravery: Lessons from the Most Courageous Leader of the Twentieth Century

“The philosophy that I have worked under most of my life is that the serious study of natural history is an activity which has far-reaching effects in every aspect of a person's life. It ultimately makes people protective of the environment in a very committed way. It is my opinion that the study of natural history should be the primary avenue for creating environmentalists.”

“Though my natural instinct is to wish for a life free from pain, trouble, and adversity, I am learning to welcome anything that makes me conscious of my need for Him. If prayer is birthed out of desperation, then anything that makes me desperate for God is a blessing.”

Ifs Needs Pain Wish Women Natural Prayer History Trouble Blessing Conscious Adversity Instinct Welcome Desperate Desperation Natural Instinct

Book:The Quiet Place: Daily Devotional Readings

Source: The Quiet Place: Daily Devotional Readings

“Human behaviour reveals uniformities which constitute natural laws. If these uniformities did not exist, then there would be neither social science nor political economy, and even the study of history would largely be useless. In effect, if the future actions of men having nothing in common with their past actions, our knowledge of them, although possibly satisfying our curiosity by way of an interesting story, would be entirely useless to us as a guide in life.”

“I think we may class the lawyer in the natural history of monsters.”

Thinking May Funny Natural Class History Lawyer Monsters Natural History Best Lawyer Barristers

Book:Selected Letters of John Keats: Revised Edition

Source: Selected Letters of John Keats: Revised Edition

“... in going over the history of all the inventions for which history could be obtained it became more and more clear that in addition to training and in addition to extensive knowledge, a natural quality of mind was also necessary.”

Mind Science Natural Quality Knowledge History Clear Training Invention

Author:Reginald Fessenden

“[Theodore Roosevelt] was a naturalist on the broadest grounds, uniting much technical knowledge with knowledge of the daily lives and habits of all forms of wild life. He probably knew tenfold more natural history than all the presidents who had preceded him, and, I think one is safe in saying, more human history also.”

Thinking Humans Form Science President Natural Knowledge History Habit Safe Daily Life Human History Naturalist Uniting Natural History Theodore Technical Knowledge Wild Life

Author:John Burroughs

“We know only a single science, the science of history. History can be contemplated from two sides, it can be divided into the history of nature and the history of mankind. However, the two sides are not to be divided off; as long as men exist the history of nature and the history of men are mutually conditioned.”

Knows Men Long Two Science Sides Nature Natural History Mankind Accounts Divided Two Sides

Author:Karl Marx

“To the scientist, nature is always and merely a 'phenomenon,' not in the sense of being defective in reality, but in the sense of being a spectacle presented to his intelligent observation; whereas the events of history are never mere phenomena, never mere spectacles for contemplation, but things which the historian looks, not at, but through, to discern the thought within them.”

Looks Reality Science Nature Natural History Events Scientist Intelligent Mere Observation Contemplation Phenomenon Historian Defective Spectacles

Author:Robin G. Collingwood

“Being offended is a natural consequence of leaving the house.”

House Natural History Consequence Leaving Offended Natural Consequences

Author:Fran Lebowitz

“The urgent consideration of the public safety may undoubtedly authorize the violation of every positive law. How far that or any other consideration may operate to dissolve the natural obligations of humanity and justice, is a doctrine of which I still desire to remain ignorant.”

May Stills Law Desire Humanity Natural Justice History Safety Obligation Doctrine Ignorant Consideration Urgent Violation Roman Empire Very Positive Public Safety

Book:The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:

“The past history of our globe must be explained by what can be seen to be happening now. No powers are to be employed that are not natural to the globe, no action to be admitted except those of which we know the principle.”

Knows Action Earth Past Science Natural Principles History Happenings Globes Employed Explaining Geology Naturalist

Author:James Hutton