Qualities absolutely necessary for a historian: (1) Imagination. (2) Prejudice. (3) The power of writing your own biography at the read more

Qualities absolutely necessary for a historian: (1) Imagination. (2) Prejudice. (3) The power of writing your own biography at the same time.

The reign of Antoninus is marked by the rare advantage of
furnishing very few materials for history, which is read more

The reign of Antoninus is marked by the rare advantage of
furnishing very few materials for history, which is indeed little
more than the register of the crimes, and misfortunes of mankind.

Nothing is improbable until it moves into past tense.

Nothing is improbable until it moves into past tense.

History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way read more

History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.

The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.

The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.

Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these.

Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these.

The past is a work of art, free of irrelevancies and loose ends.

The past is a work of art, free of irrelevancies and loose ends.

A man can be a hero if he is a scientist, or a soldier, or a drug addict, or a read more

A man can be a hero if he is a scientist, or a soldier, or a drug addict, or a disc jockey, or a crummy mediocre politician. A man can be a hero because he suffers and despairs; or because he thinks logically and analytically; or because he is "sensitive;" or because he is cruel. Wealth establishes a man as a hero, and so does poverty. Virtually any circumstance in a man's life will make him a hero to some group of people and has a mythic rendering in the culture -- in literature, art, theater, or the daily newspapers.

It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands read more

It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.