The memory of the Second World War hangs over Europe, an inescapable and irresistible point of reference. Historical parallels are usually misleading and dangerous.
Antony BeevorRead
I'm often reassured in a bizarre - perhaps perverse - way when I find in the archive stuff that contradicts what my assumptions have been. That's interesting and exciting.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Embracing contradictory information can lead to personal growth and new understanding.
Antony Beevor expresses that discovering information that challenges or contradicts one's own assumptions can be a thrilling experience. It highlights the importance of being open-minded and receptive to new ideas, as these revelations can lead to greater insight and understanding of complex subjects.
Themes
KnowledgeAssumptionsInsightInformationGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
A professor discussing the importance of revisionist history in a lecture.
More from Antony Beevor
All quotes βI think one of the great disasters (in military history) is the way that the Second World War has become the defining reference point for every crisis and every conflict.
Antony BeevorRead
When we dwell on the enormity of the Second World War and its victims, we try to absorb all those statistics of national and ethnic tragedy. But, as a result, there is a tendency to overlook the way the war changed even the survivors' lives in ways impossible to predict.
Antony BeevorRead
The great European dream was to diminish militant nationalism. We would all be happy Europeans together. But we are going to see the old monster of militant nationalism being awoken when people realise how little control their politicians have.
Antony BeevorRead
Teaching the history of the British Empire links in with that of the world: for better and for worse, the Empire made us what we are, forming our national identity. A country that does not understand its own history is unlikely to respect that of others.
Antony BeevorRead
The greatest heroes of the Normandy battlefield were the unarmed medics, whom snipers often shot at despite their Red Cross armbands.
Antony BeevorRead
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