I like to watch the news, because I don't like people very much and when you watch the news... if you ever had an idea that people were really terrible, you could watch the news and know that you're right.
All the old history was written for the amusement of the ruling classes. The lower classes couldn't read, and their rulers didn't care about remembering what happened to them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
History is often biased in favor of those in power, neglecting the experiences of the lower classes.
This quote by Frank Zappa highlights the idea that historical narratives are often crafted by those in positions of power, serving their interests and providing entertainment for the ruling classes. The implication is that the voices and experiences of the lower classes are marginalized, as they were typically not educated enough to engage with these histories, leading to a one-sided and incomplete understanding of our past.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on social justice, you could use this quote to emphasize the importance of including diverse perspectives in historical narratives.
More from Frank Zappa
All quotes βThe richest people in the world aren't particularly smart or happy. And the happiest people in the world aren't particularly smart or rich.β¦ That leaves me making music. But we can't talk about that.
Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are in my opinion more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. Freedom of speech, freedom of religious thought, and the right to due process for composers, performers and retailers are imperiled if the PMRC and the major labels consummate this nasty bargain.
Don't mind your make-up, you'd better make your mind up.
Music is always a commentary on society.
I'm more interested in melodic things. I think the biggest challenge when you go to play a solo is trying to invent a melody on the spot.
Similar quotes
History is not history unless it is the truth.
Madam President, speaking here in Dublin Castle it is impossible to ignore the weight of history, as it was yesterday when you and I laid wreaths at the Garden of Remembrance.
The historian is, by definition, absolutely incapable of observing the facts which he examines.
In Brazil, the history of the interaction between blancos and indios - whites and Indians - often reads like an extended epitaph. Tribes were wiped out by disease and massacres; languages and songs were obliterated.
If you read about millions of people doing this and millions of people doing that, history seems remote and inaccessible.
We have a long, ugly history of white supremacy in this country, ranging from Jim Crow laws to keep African Americans down to the 1924 Immigration Act to keep non-Europeans out.