An apology offered and, equally important, received is a step towards reconciliation and, sometimes, recompense. Without that process, hurts can rankle and fester and erupt into their own hatreds and wrongdoings.
Margaret MacmillanRead
You shouldn't expect people in the past to do things they couldn't have done.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We should not judge past actions by today's standards or expectations.
This quote emphasizes the importance of context when evaluating the actions and decisions of people from the past. It reminds us that historical figures acted within the constraints of their time and knowledge, and applying modern perspectives retrospectively can lead to unfair judgments.
Themes
HistoryJudgmentPerspectiveContextUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a history class, when discussing controversial figures, this quote can help frame the conversation about their context.
More from Margaret Macmillan
All quotes βClimate change respects no borders.
Margaret MacmillanRead
War is a crucial, deeply ingrained part of human history. It has to be understood.
Margaret MacmillanRead
There was that argument that if we had more women in positions of authority, the world would be a nicer place. And then we got Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Indira Gandhi. When women become acclimatised to war, they can become every bit as ruthless as men.
Margaret MacmillanRead
Theodore Roosevelt's policy to build a two-ocean navy confirmed that the old-style isolationism of the founders had not survived the modern, increasingly globalized world.
Margaret MacmillanRead
If we don't take responsibility for each other, it seems to me the future is going to be even bleaker.
Margaret MacmillanRead
Similar quotes
People say that the most expensive piece of medical equipment is the doctor's pen. It's not that we make all the money. It's that we order all the money.
Atul GawandeRead
Risks are a measure of people. People who won't take them are trying to preserve what they have. People who do take them often end up having more. Some risks have a future, and some people call them wrong. But being right may be like walking backwards proving where you've been. Being wrong isn't in the future, or in the past. Being wrong isn't anywhere but being here. Best place to be, eh?
Paul ArdenRead
I laugh at those who think they can damage me. They do not know who I am, they do not know what I think, they cannot even touch the things which are really mine and with which I live.
EpictetusRead
Never let your zeal outrun your charity. The former is but human, the latter is divine.
Hosea BallouRead
Nefertiti is lovely, but we should use our wit and will to look beyond that beautiful face to discover and to enjoy a more satisfying narrative - the story of mankind, not just of man.
Bettany HughesRead
Whenever we hear an opinion and believe it, we make an agreement, and it becomes part of our belief system.
Miguel Angel RuizRead