The study of the past with one eye upon the present is the source of all sins and sophistries in history. It is the essence of what we mean by the word "unhistorical." (Herbert Butterfield)

The study of the past with one eye upon the present is the source of all sins and sophistries in history. It is the essence of what we mean by the word "unhistorical."

Herbert Butterfield

Related topics

essence eye history mean past present source study word

Related quotes

We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing. View quote
Ronald David Laing
I love my past, I love my present. I am not ashamed of what I have had, and I am not sad because I no longer have it. View quote
Colette
In fact, the history of North America has been perhaps more profoundly influenced by man's inheritance from his past homes than by the physical features of his present home. View quote
Ellsworth Huntington
...an intellectual instinct which extracts the essence from the phenomena of life, as a bee sucks honey from a flower. In addition to study and reflections, life itself serves as a source. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
Hear the voice of the Bard Who present, past, and future sees Whose ears have heard The Holy Word That walked among the ancient trees. View quote
William Blake