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For historians ought to be precise, truthful, and quite unprejudiced, and neither interest nor fear, hatred nor affection, should cause them to swerve from the path of truth, whose mother is history, the rival of time, the depository of great actions, the witness of what is past, the example and instruction of the present, the monitor of the future.
Miguel De Cervantes
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Historians must approach their work with objectivity and integrity, ensuring that truth prevails over personal biases.

In this quote, Cervantes emphasizes the vital role of historians in crafting an accurate account of events. He asserts that historians must remain impartial, free from personal interests or emotions that could distort their representation of the past. This commitment to truthful storytelling is crucial, as history serves not only as a record of past actions but also as a guide for both present understanding and future decisions.

Themes

HistoryTruthObjectivityPrecisionHindsight

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the importance of education, one might say, 'As Cervantes reminds us, historians must be precise and truthful to guide our learning today.'

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When the head aches, all the members partake of the pain.
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Though Gods attributes are equal, yet his mercy is more attractive and pleasing in our eyes than his justice.
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If you are ambitious of climbing up to the difficult, and in a manner inaccessible, summit of the Temple of Fame, your surest way is to leave on one hand the narrow path of Poetry, and follow the narrower track of Knight-Errantry, which in a trice may raise you to an imperial throne.
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