There is nothing more agreeable in life than to make peace with the establishment and nothing more corrupting.
A. J. P. TaylorRead
He was what I often think is a dangerous thing for a statesman to be - a student of history; and like most of those who study history, he learned from the mistakes of the past how to make new ones.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that studying history can lead to dangerous misunderstandings, as one may replicate past mistakes rather than learning from them.
A. J. P. Taylor's quote indicates that while it is valuable for a statesman to understand history, there is a risk that instead of gaining wisdom from historical events, they may repeat the errors of the past. This reflection on the paradox of historical study highlights the importance of critical thinking when applying lessons from history to contemporary issues.
Themes
HistoryStatesmanMistakesLearningWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a lecture on the importance of understanding history in political decision-making.
More from A. J. P. Taylor
All quotes →The male clerk with his quill pen and copper-plate handwriting had gone for good. The female short-hand typist took his place. It was a decisive moment in women's emancipation.
A. J. P. TaylorRead
In 1917 European history, in the old sense, came to an end. World history began. It was the year of Lenin and Woodrow Wilson, both of whom repudiated the traditional standards of political behaviour. Both preached Utopia, Heaven on Earth. It was the moment of birth for our contemporary world.
A. J. P. TaylorRead
Though the object of being a Great Power is to be able to fight a Great War, the only way of remaining a Great Power is not to fight one.
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If there had been no troublemakers, no Dissenters, we should still be living in caves.
A. J. P. TaylorRead
Bismarck fought 'necessary' wars and killed thousands, the idealists of the twentieth century fight 'just' wars and kill millions.
A. J. P. TaylorRead
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Use it, enjoy it, but always handle history with care.
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From the very beginning, history wasn't content simply to be nostalgic fairytales; it wanted to make you think.
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Just by my home is an entrance to the sewers they used in the Warsaw uprising. I grew up knowing people died down there. Warsaw was once a battleground; then it became a morgue. It's a city littered with ghosts. And that never left me.
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And in the absence of facts, myth rushes in, the kudzu of history.
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