Good history is good story-telling. And good story-telling demands empathy; it requires understanding different actors, differing motivations, competing goals.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of empathy in understanding history through storytelling.
Ben Sasse suggests that history is best understood as a narrative that requires a storyteller's ability to connect with diverse perspectives. Good storytelling not only recounts events but also necessitates empathy to appreciate the various motivations and conflicts of the individuals involved.
In practice
In a classroom discussion about historical events, this quote can highlight the importance of understanding different perspectives.
Among the responsibilities of each citizen in a participatory democracy is keeping ourselves sufficiently informed so that we can participate effectively, argue our positions honorably, and hopefully, forge sufficient consensus to understand each other and then to govern.
Becoming a reader grows our horizons, our appetite for the good, the true and the beautiful, and our empathy.
The health of our republic depends on shared principles like the First Amendment, but it is also built on the Teddy Roosevelt-like vigor of its citizens and local self-reliance.
Being stuck in adolescence - that's a hell. 'Peter Pan' is a dystopia, and we forget that. Neverland is a bad place to be.
Rising political tribalism, shamelessly exaggerating our opponents' claims or behavior, is leaving us vulnerable: No one loves America's internal fighting - and our increasingly siloed news consumption - more than Vladimir Putin.
I don't think that our Founders would believe that America could long prosper if the people were not readers.
I think the success of any school can be measured by the contribution the alumni make to our national life.
Teach and practice, practice and teach - that is all we have; that is all we are good for; that is all we ever ought to do.
I have learned more [from Balzac] than from all the professional historians, economists, and statisticians put together.
The assumption of all education is that learning will be directed toward constructive ends and I'm convinced that colleges should support students in their determination to be useful, self-sufficient, and productive.
It is easy to overlook the importance of the young in underdeveloped countries. It is the natural course for nations, and diplomats, and those who publish newspapers, to speak to the established order. Seeking out the young requires a conscious effort.
No voice teacher can be all things to all people. You have to gain information from whatever sources you can. You have to listen.
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