--- title: "14 Book History Quotes by 14 authors" description: "Browse 14 Book History quotes by 14 authors. Discover the best Book History sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/ojo-emmanuel-david-30651_books_he-who-kills-purpose-kills-is-place-in-t_2492046.jpg" --- > [“he who kills purpose kills is place in the great book of history”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ojo-emmanuel-david/he-who-kills-purpose-kills-is-place-in-the-great-book-of-history/) [ojo emmanuel david](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ojo-emmanuel-david/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/ojo-emmanuel-david-30651_books_he-who-kills-purpose-kills-is-place-in-t_2492046.jpg) > [I want to write a book which is the history of comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-want-to-write-a-book-which-is-the-history-of-comedy/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/john-cleese-1768_book_i-want-to-write-a-book-which-is-the-hist_1656965.jpg) > [The Book of History is the Bible of Irony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saintsbury/the-book-of-history-is-the-bible-of-irony/) [George Saintsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saintsbury/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26d/george-saintsbury-23162_bible_the-book-of-history-is-the-bible-of-iron_1424595.png) > [It's a very good historical book about history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/it-s-a-very-good-historical-book-about-history/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/520/dan-quayle-1780_book_it-s-a-very-good-historical-book-about-h_2231463.jpg) > [I was reading a book... 'the history of glue' - I couldn't put it down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-vine/i-was-reading-a-book-the-history-of-glue-i-couldn-t-put-it-down/) [Tim Vine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-vine/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/tim-vine-9978_book_i-was-reading-a-book-the-history-of-glue_918603.jpg) > [“I can close the book on this part of our history. I can start a new chapter, but it doesn't matter. because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-can-close-the-book-on-this-part-of-our-history-i-can-start-a-new/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/james-patterson-171_book_i-can-close-the-book-on-this-part-of-our_210688.png) > [It is with nations as it is with individuals. A book of history is a book of sermons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-with-nations-as-it-is-with-individuals-a-book-of-history-is-a/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/arthur-conan-doyle-273_book_it-is-with-nations-as-it-is-with-individ_2254534.jpg) > [“...but every living soul is a book of their own history, which sits on the ever-growing shelf in the library of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gantos/but-every-living-soul-is-a-book-of-their-own-history-which-sits-on/) [Jack Gantos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gantos/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f8/jack-gantos-14183_books_but-every-living-soul-is-a-book-of-their_2990962.png) > [As a graduate student at Oxford in 1963, I began writing about books in revolutionary France, helping to found the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/as-a-graduate-student-at-oxford-in-1963-i-began-writing-about-books/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/robert-darnton-20759_about_as-a-graduate-student-at-oxford-in-1963_60209.jpg) > [I woke up one day and thought: 'I want to write a book about the history of my body.' I could justify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-woke-up-one-day-and-thought-i-want-to-write-a-book-about-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/paul-auster-351_about_i-woke-up-one-day-and-thought-i-want-to_2529250.jpg) > [I'd done a lot of research in Hollywood and in academia. I love research and so I wanted to kind of ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-d-done-a-lot-of-research-in-hollywood-and-in-academia-i-love/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a28/robert-greene-498_books_i-d-done-a-lot-of-research-in-hollywood_2555140.png) > [History is a strange experience. The world is quite small now; but history is large and deep. Sometimes you can go much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/history-is-a-strange-experience-the-world-is-quite-small-now-but/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/gilbert-highet-15158_airplane_history-is-a-strange-experience-the-worl_1088857.jpg) > [“Because (in principle) things outlast us, they know more about us than we know about them: they carry the experiences they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-in-principle-things-outlast-us-they-know-more-about-us-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/anonymous-1_books_because-in-principle-things-outlast-us-t_1915708.jpg) > [I really want to do a book on the history of the no-wave music scene in New York, how it extended out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/i-really-want-to-do-a-book-on-the-history-of-the-no-wave-music-scene/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/thurston-moore-16089_book_i-really-want-to-do-a-book-on-the-histor_2888803.png) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-history/#itemlist", "name": "Book History Quotes", "numberOfItems": 14, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“he who kills purpose kills is place in the great book of history”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "ojo emmanuel david" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ojo-emmanuel-david/he-who-kills-purpose-kills-is-place-in-the-great-book-of-history/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/ojo-emmanuel-david-30651_books_he-who-kills-purpose-kills-is-place-in-t_2492046.jpg", "contentUrl": 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'the history of glue' - I couldn't put it down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tim Vine" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-vine/i-was-reading-a-book-the-history-of-glue-i-couldn-t-put-it-down/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/tim-vine-9978_book_i-was-reading-a-book-the-history-of-glue_918603.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/tim-vine-9978_book_i-was-reading-a-book-the-history-of-glue_918603.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/tim-vine-9978_book_i-was-reading-a-book-the-history-of-glue_918603.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was reading a book... 'the history of glue' - I couldn't put it down.” — Tim Vine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I can close the book on this part of our history. I can start a new chapter, but it doesn't matter. because now, the magic is everywhere.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Patterson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-can-close-the-book-on-this-part-of-our-history-i-can-start-a-new/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/james-patterson-171_book_i-can-close-the-book-on-this-part-of-our_210688.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/james-patterson-171_book_i-can-close-the-book-on-this-part-of-our_210688.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/james-patterson-171_book_i-can-close-the-book-on-this-part-of-our_210688.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can close the book on this part of our history. 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I was in my academic corner writing about Enlightenment ideals when the Internet exploded the world of academic communication in the 1990s.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Darnton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/as-a-graduate-student-at-oxford-in-1963-i-began-writing-about-books/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/robert-darnton-20759_about_as-a-graduate-student-at-oxford-in-1963_60209.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/robert-darnton-20759_about_as-a-graduate-student-at-oxford-in-1963_60209.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/robert-darnton-20759_about_as-a-graduate-student-at-oxford-in-1963_60209.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a graduate student at Oxford in 1963, I began writing about books in revolutionary France, helping to…” — Robert Darnton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I woke up one day and thought: 'I want to write a book about the history of my body.' I could justify talking about my mother because it was in her body that my body began.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Auster" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-woke-up-one-day-and-thought-i-want-to-write-a-book-about-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/paul-auster-351_about_i-woke-up-one-day-and-thought-i-want-to_2529250.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/paul-auster-351_about_i-woke-up-one-day-and-thought-i-want-to_2529250.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/paul-auster-351_about_i-woke-up-one-day-and-thought-i-want-to_2529250.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I woke up one day and thought: 'I want to write a book about the history of my body.' I could justify…” — Paul Auster", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd done a lot of research in Hollywood and in academia. I love research and so I wanted to kind of ground the book in history, in things that I read that were universal and timeless and then kind of let my own experiences sort of filter through all of this history.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Greene" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-d-done-a-lot-of-research-in-hollywood-and-in-academia-i-love/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a28/robert-greene-498_books_i-d-done-a-lot-of-research-in-hollywood_2555140.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a28/robert-greene-498_books_i-d-done-a-lot-of-research-in-hollywood_2555140.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a28/robert-greene-498_books_i-d-done-a-lot-of-research-in-hollywood_2555140.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'd done a lot of research in Hollywood and in academia. I love research and so I wanted to kind of ground…” — Robert Greene", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History is a strange experience. The world is quite small now; but history is large and deep. Sometimes you can go much farther by sitting in your own home and reading a book of history, than by getting onto a ship or an airplane and traveling a thousand miles.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilbert Highet" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/history-is-a-strange-experience-the-world-is-quite-small-now-but/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/gilbert-highet-15158_airplane_history-is-a-strange-experience-the-worl_1088857.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/gilbert-highet-15158_airplane_history-is-a-strange-experience-the-worl_1088857.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/gilbert-highet-15158_airplane_history-is-a-strange-experience-the-worl_1088857.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History is a strange experience. The world is quite small now; but history is large and deep. Sometimes you…” — Gilbert Highet", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Because (in principle) things outlast us, they know more about us than we know about them: they carry the experiences they have had with us inside them and are - in fact- the book of our history opened before us.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-in-principle-things-outlast-us-they-know-more-about-us-than/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/anonymous-1_books_because-in-principle-things-outlast-us-t_1915708.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/anonymous-1_books_because-in-principle-things-outlast-us-t_1915708.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/anonymous-1_books_because-in-principle-things-outlast-us-t_1915708.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because (in principle) things outlast us, they know more about us than we know about them: they carry the…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I really want to do a book on the history of the no-wave music scene in New York, how it extended out and formed lots of other things. 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