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.
You can only hear clearly when you sit quietly, when you give your attention. Nor can you have order if you are not free to watch, if you are not free to listen, if you are not free to be considerate. This problem of freedom and order is one of the most difficult and urgent problems in life. It is a very complex problem. It needs to be thought over much more than mathematics, geography, or history.
The devil's most devilish when respectable.
And he whose soul is flat -- the sky Will cave in on him by and by.
When all the Self was conquered and dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, the innermost of Being that is no longer Self - the great secret!
What is all Knowledge too but recorded Experience, and a product of History; of which, therefore, Reasoning and Belief, no less than Action and Passion, are essential materials?
Human nature is potentially aggressive and destructive and potentially orderly and constructive.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.