Famous Quotes About History (2024)

Discover Your Roots With These Famous History Quotes

Famous Quotes About History (1)

By

Simran Khurana

Education Expert

  • M.B.A, Human Resource Development and Management, Narsee Monjee Institution of Management Studies
  • B.S., University of Mumbai, Commerce, Accounting, and Finance

Simran Khurana is the Editor-in-Chief for ReachIvy, and a teacher and freelance writer and editor, who uses quotations in her pedagogy.

Learn about ourEditorial Process

Updated on November 12, 2017

We marvel at the ancient architectural wonders that attract tourists the world over. But the essence lies in the history of the foundation. History's frozen music is like a mute sentinel who helps cultures survive. Victories and failures, traditions and heritage, make history ever changing. Yet history remains the same.

Read these famous history quotes and get drawn into the realms of the past.

Voltaire
"History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes."

Napoleon Bonaparte
"What is history but a fable agreed upon?"

Karl Marx
"History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce."

Winston Churchill
"History is written by the victors."

Thomas Jefferson
"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."

John Maynard Keynes
"Ideas shape the course of history."

William Shakespeare
"There is a history in all men's lives."

Mark Twain
"The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice."

Henry David Thoreau
"It is remarkable how closely the history of the apple tree is connected with that of man."

Alexander Smith
"I go into my library and all history unrolls before me."

Robert Heinlein
"A generation which ignores history has no past and no future."

Marshall McLuhan
"Only the vanquished remember history."

Mohandas Gandhi
"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history."

Stephen Covey
"Live out of your imagination, not your history."

Martin Luther King, Jr.
"We are not makers of history. We are made by history."

Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Things have never been more like the way they are today in history."

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Khurana, Simran. "Famous History Quotes." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/famous-history-quotes-2832302.Khurana, Simran. (2021, February 16). Famous History Quotes. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-history-quotes-2832302Khurana, Simran. "Famous History Quotes." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-history-quotes-2832302 (accessed May 31, 2024).

Famous Quotes About History (2024)

FAQs

Famous Quotes About History? ›

"A generation which ignores history has no past and no future." "Only the vanquished remember history." "A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." "Live out of your imagination, not your history."

What are five famous quotes in history? ›

Famous quotes in English
QuoteWho
If you are going through hell, keep going.Winston Churchill
If you build it, they will come.Joe Jackson (character)
If you want something done right, do it yourself.Charles-Guillaume Étienne
If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.Margaret Thatcher
54 more rows

What is a famous quote about knowing your history? ›

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." "Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it." "Human nature will not change. In any future great national trial, compared with the men of this, we shall have as weak and as strong, as silly and as wise, as bad and as good.

What is the quote about history story? ›

If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.

What is a beautiful quote about history? ›

70 examples of historical quotes
  • 'History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. ...
  • 'I can only note that the past is beautiful because one never realises an emotion at the time. ...
  • 'The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.
Mar 9, 2023

What was Benjamin Franklin's most famous quote? ›

For example, one of the most-popular sayings attributed to Franklin is, “a penny saved is a penny earned.” This appears to be a combination of two Franklin proverbs. Other famous Franklin quotes are well-documented. In “Advice To A Young Tradesman,” Franklin writes that, “Remember that time is money.”

What is the old saying about history? ›

History is a set of lies, agreed upon.” “[History is] an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools.” “History is an argument without end.” “History is always written by the winners.

What is a famous quote about making history? ›

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. The quote by Making History, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of studying history and learning from past experiences.

What is a famous quote about history repeating? ›

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905.

Who is the most quoted person in history? ›

OSCAR Wilde has been named as the “most quotable figure” in the history of the English language.

What is a famous quote about writing history? ›

" Any fool can make history, but it takes a genius to write it." "History can be well written only in a free country." "History to be above evasion must stand on documents not on opinion."

What's the most powerful quote? ›

10 of the most powerful quotes in the world
  • The simple things are sometimes the most significant — Anon.
  • Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value — Albert Einstein.
  • Remembering you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose — Steve Jobs.

What did Mark Twain say about history? ›

Mark Twain once said that “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.” As heads of state gather in Paris this week to mark 100 years since the end of World War I, they should listen closely to the echoes of history and avoid replaying the discordant notes of the past.

What is the quote to understand history? ›

“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” “Everyone can recognize history when it happens. Everyone can recognize history after it has happened; but it only the wise person who knows at the moment what is vital and permanent, what is lasting and memorable.”

What is history quotes Oscar Wilde? ›

Quote by Oscar Wilde: “The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.

What is the most famous quote ever said? ›

Best Quotes of All Time
  • 1. “ To be, or not to be, that is the question.” – William Shakespeare.
  • 2. “ I think, therefore I am.” – René Descartes.
  • 3. “ The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. ...
  • 4. “ That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche.
  • 5. “ ...
  • 6. “ ...
  • 7. “ ...
  • 8. “

What are 5 good quotes? ›

Famous quotes in English
QuoteWho
If you are going through hell, keep going.Winston Churchill
If you build it, they will come.Joe Jackson (character)
If you want something done right, do it yourself.Charles-Guillaume Étienne
If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.Margaret Thatcher
54 more rows

What are the top 10 quotes? ›

10 most famous quotes of all time
  • "I have a dream." - Martin Luther King Jr.
  • "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - ...
  • "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." - ...
  • "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." -
May 20, 2022

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