All history is contemporary history.
Benedetto CroceRead
History is various and sinuous and no essential part of the human spirit is ever wholly absent from it.
Interpretation
History reflects the complexities of the human experience, capturing the essence of our spirit.
Benedetto Croce's quote suggests that history is not a linear narrative but a complex tapestry that incorporates various aspects of human existence. It implies that every part of our spirit, whether good or bad, is woven into the fabric of history, making it a rich and diverse record of humanity’s journey.
In practice
In a debate about the importance of learning from the past, this quote illustrates how history encompasses all aspects of humanity.
All history is contemporary history.
Pleasure is our first and kindred good. It is the starting point of every choice and of every aversion, and to it we always come back, inasmuch as we make feeling the rule by which to judge of every good thing.
Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency.
I am a child of God. I always carry that with me.
The words that come out of our mouths do not vanish but are perpetually stored in infinite space, and they will come back to us in due time.
And usually [the philosopher] philosophizes either in order to resign himself to life, or to seek some finality in it, or to distract himself and forget his griefs, or for pastime and amusement.
Whoever despises himself nonetheless respects himself as one who despises.
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