Born with blue spectacles, you would think the world was blue and never be conscious of the existence of the distorting glass.
T. E. HulmeRead
All national histories are partisan and designed to give us a good conceit of ourselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
National histories are often biased and aim to create a favorable image of a nation.
This quote suggests that the way histories are written tends to lean towards a biased perspective, shaping a narrative that enhances national pride while potentially overlooking flaws and complexities. T. E. Hulme points out that histories are not simply factual accounts but are crafted to instill a sense of self-importance and patriotism among the populace, often through selective storytelling.
Themes
HistoryBiasNationalismPartisanPerspective
In practice
Example use cases
A history professor might use this quote in a lecture about the subjective nature of history.
More from T. E. Hulme
All quotes βNo history can be a faithful mirror. If it were, it would be as long and as dull as life itself. It must be a selection, and, being a selection, must inevitably be biased.
T. E. HulmeRead
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