Events in the past may be roughly divided into those which probably never happened and those which do not matter. — William Ralph Ing
One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say.
— Will Durant
Memories should impel a better world, not just recall the past one. — Bill Purdin
Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder. — Arnold J. Toynbee
We live in a time of transition, an uneasy era which is likely to endure for the rest of this century. During the period we may be tempted to abandon some of the time-honored principles and commitments which have been proven during the difficult times of past generations. We must never yield to this temptation. Our American values are not luxuries, but necessities – not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself. — Jimmy Carter, in his farewell address.
The young have aspirations that never come to pass, the old have reminiscences of what never happened. — Saki
It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backward. — Lewis Carroll
Good historians, I suspect, whether they think about it or not, have the future in their bones. Besides the question: Why? the historian also asks the question: Whither? — E.H. Carr