History is neither written nor made without love or hate.
Interpretation
History is shaped by human emotions, specifically love and hate.
The quote by Theodor Mommsen emphasizes that history is profoundly influenced by the powerful emotions of love and hate. These emotions drive human actions and decisions that ultimately carve out our historical narrative, suggesting that the motivation behind events plays a crucial role in shaping the course of history.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a discussion on the motivations behind historical events.
An independent state does not pay too dear a price for its independence in accepting the sufferings of war when it cannot avoid them; a state which has lost its independence may find at least some compensation in the fact that its protector procures for it peace with its neighbours.
The history of Rome presents various men of greater genius than Scipio Aemilianus, but none equalling him in moral purity, in the utter absence of political selfishness, in generous love of his country, and none, perhaps, to whom destiny has assigned a more tragic part.
History has a Nemesis for every sin.
It may be you fear more to deliver judgment upon me than I fear judgment.
Men cannot be made good by the state, but they can easily be made bad. Morality depends on liberty.
The beast in me Is caged by frail and fragile bars.
The propagandist's purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.
It is good to remember that the goal of Buddhism is to create Buddhas, not Buddhists, as the goal of Christianity is to create Christs, not Christians. In the same vein, my teachings are not meant to acquire followers or imitators, but to awaken beings to eternal truth and thus to awakened life and living.
You enter the extraordinary by way of the ordinary
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