--- title: "14 Lesson History Quotes by 14 authors" description: "Browse 14 Lesson History quotes by 14 authors. Discover the best Lesson History sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/brandon-sanderson-112_history_nearly-everything-that-happened-had-happ_1410947.jpg" --- > [“Nearly everything that happened had happened before. The grand lesson of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/nearly-everything-that-happened-had-happened-before-the-grand-lesson/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/brandon-sanderson-112_history_nearly-everything-that-happened-had-happ_1410947.jpg) > [The lesson of history is rarely learned by the actors themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lesson-of-history-is-rarely-learned-by-the-actors-themselves/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/anonymous-1_actors_the-lesson-of-history-is-rarely-learned_1162397.jpg) > [Is the only lesson of history to be that mankind is unteachable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/is-the-only-lesson-of-history-to-be-that-mankind-is-unteachable/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/winston-churchill-95_history_is-the-only-lesson-of-history-to-be-that_1553302.jpg) > [The lesson of history is that no one learns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-lesson-of-history-is-that-no-one-learns/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/steven-erikson-588_history_the-lesson-of-history-is-that-no-one-lea_1004206.jpg) > [Trust the people -- that is the crucial lesson of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/trust-the-people-that-is-the-crucial-lesson-of-history/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/ronald-reagan-119_crucial_trust-the-people-that-is-the-crucial-les_876602.jpg) > [The first lesson of history is that evil is good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-first-lesson-of-history-is-that-evil-is-good/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_evil_the-first-lesson-of-history-is-that-evil_2877593.png) > [This is the lesson that history teaches: repetition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/this-is-the-lesson-that-history-teaches-repetition/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/gertrude-stein-667_history_this-is-the-lesson-that-history-teaches_2199742.jpg) > [“The lesson of history is that we don't learn the lessons of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-g-donlan/the-lesson-of-history-is-that-we-don-t-learn-the-lessons-of-history/) [Thomas G. Donlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-g-donlan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/thomas-g-donlan-282936_history_the-lesson-of-history-is-that-we-don-t-l_1528677.jpg) > [The great lesson of history for us is that strength and resolve bring peace and order, and weakness and vacillation invite chaos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/the-great-lesson-of-history-for-us-is-that-strength-and-resolve-bring/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/rick-perry-1638_chaos_the-great-lesson-of-history-for-us-is-th_2366070.png) > [“That hope is little more than the premonition of regret. This is the first lesson of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/that-hope-is-little-more-than-the-premonition-of-regret-this-is-the/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/r-scott-bakker-4344_history_that-hope-is-little-more-than-the-premon_337066.png) > [“Indeed, the lesson of our history is that the task of merely maintaining strong and sturdy the structures of a constitutional order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/indeed-the-lesson-of-our-history-is-that-the-task-of-merely/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/charles-krauthammer-1232_constitutional_indeed-the-lesson-of-our-history-is-that_1055589.jpg) > [“You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/you-know-the-greatest-lesson-of-history-it-s-that-history-is-whatever-2/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/anthony-doerr-886_history_you-know-the-greatest-lesson-of-history_2331654.png) > [Americans treat history like a cookbook. Whenever they are uncertain what to do next, they turn to history and look up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/americans-treat-history-like-a-cookbook-whenever-they-are-uncertain/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/russell-baker-2930_cookbook_americans-treat-history-like-a-cookbook_1349035.png) > [There's a lot we should be able to learn from history. And yet history proves that we never do. In fact, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-whitney-brown/there-s-a-lot-we-should-be-able-to-learn-from-history-and-yet-history/) [A. Whitney Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-whitney-brown/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/a-whitney-brown-27011_able_there-s-a-lot-we-should-be-able-to-learn_771397.png) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesson-history/#itemlist", "name": "Lesson History Quotes", "numberOfItems": 14, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nearly everything that happened had happened before. 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"creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Is the only lesson of history to be that mankind is unteachable?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Winston Churchill" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/is-the-only-lesson-of-history-to-be-that-mankind-is-unteachable/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/winston-churchill-95_history_is-the-only-lesson-of-history-to-be-that_1553302.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/winston-churchill-95_history_is-the-only-lesson-of-history-to-be-that_1553302.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/winston-churchill-95_history_is-the-only-lesson-of-history-to-be-that_1553302.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Is the only lesson of history to be that mankind is unteachable?” — Winston Churchill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The lesson of history is that no one learns.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Erikson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-lesson-of-history-is-that-no-one-learns/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/steven-erikson-588_history_the-lesson-of-history-is-that-no-one-lea_1004206.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/steven-erikson-588_history_the-lesson-of-history-is-that-no-one-lea_1004206.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/steven-erikson-588_history_the-lesson-of-history-is-that-no-one-lea_1004206.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The lesson of history is that no one learns.” — Steven Erikson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Trust the people -- that is the crucial lesson of history.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ronald Reagan" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/trust-the-people-that-is-the-crucial-lesson-of-history/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/ronald-reagan-119_crucial_trust-the-people-that-is-the-crucial-les_876602.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/ronald-reagan-119_crucial_trust-the-people-that-is-the-crucial-les_876602.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/ronald-reagan-119_crucial_trust-the-people-that-is-the-crucial-les_876602.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Trust the people -- that is the crucial lesson of history.” — Ronald Reagan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first lesson of history is that evil is good.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-first-lesson-of-history-is-that-evil-is-good/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_evil_the-first-lesson-of-history-is-that-evil_2877593.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_evil_the-first-lesson-of-history-is-that-evil_2877593.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_evil_the-first-lesson-of-history-is-that-evil_2877593.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first lesson of history is that evil is good.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is the lesson that history teaches: repetition.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gertrude Stein" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/this-is-the-lesson-that-history-teaches-repetition/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/gertrude-stein-667_history_this-is-the-lesson-that-history-teaches_2199742.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/gertrude-stein-667_history_this-is-the-lesson-that-history-teaches_2199742.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/gertrude-stein-667_history_this-is-the-lesson-that-history-teaches_2199742.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is the lesson that history teaches: repetition.” — Gertrude Stein", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The lesson of history is that we don't learn the lessons of history.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas G. Donlan" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-g-donlan/the-lesson-of-history-is-that-we-don-t-learn-the-lessons-of-history/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/thomas-g-donlan-282936_history_the-lesson-of-history-is-that-we-don-t-l_1528677.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/thomas-g-donlan-282936_history_the-lesson-of-history-is-that-we-don-t-l_1528677.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/thomas-g-donlan-282936_history_the-lesson-of-history-is-that-we-don-t-l_1528677.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The lesson of history is that we don't learn the lessons of history.” — Thomas G. Donlan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The great lesson of history for us is that strength and resolve bring peace and order, and weakness and vacillation invite chaos and conflict.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rick Perry" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/the-great-lesson-of-history-for-us-is-that-strength-and-resolve-bring/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/rick-perry-1638_chaos_the-great-lesson-of-history-for-us-is-th_2366070.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/rick-perry-1638_chaos_the-great-lesson-of-history-for-us-is-th_2366070.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/rick-perry-1638_chaos_the-great-lesson-of-history-for-us-is-th_2366070.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The great lesson of history for us is that strength and resolve bring peace and order, and weakness and…” — Rick Perry", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That hope is little more than the premonition of regret. This is the first lesson of history.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R. Scott Bakker" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/that-hope-is-little-more-than-the-premonition-of-regret-this-is-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/r-scott-bakker-4344_history_that-hope-is-little-more-than-the-premon_337066.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/r-scott-bakker-4344_history_that-hope-is-little-more-than-the-premon_337066.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/r-scott-bakker-4344_history_that-hope-is-little-more-than-the-premon_337066.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That hope is little more than the premonition of regret. This is the first lesson of history.” — R. Scott Bakker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Indeed, the lesson of our history is that the task of merely maintaining strong and sturdy the structures of a constitutional order is unending, the continuing and ceaseless work of every generation.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Krauthammer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/indeed-the-lesson-of-our-history-is-that-the-task-of-merely/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/charles-krauthammer-1232_constitutional_indeed-the-lesson-of-our-history-is-that_1055589.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/charles-krauthammer-1232_constitutional_indeed-the-lesson-of-our-history-is-that_1055589.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/charles-krauthammer-1232_constitutional_indeed-the-lesson-of-our-history-is-that_1055589.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Indeed, the lesson of our history is that the task of merely maintaining strong and sturdy the structures of…” — Charles Krauthammer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins, that’s who decides the history. We act in our own self-interest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Doerr" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/you-know-the-greatest-lesson-of-history-it-s-that-history-is-whatever-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/anthony-doerr-886_history_you-know-the-greatest-lesson-of-history_2331654.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/anthony-doerr-886_history_you-know-the-greatest-lesson-of-history_2331654.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/anthony-doerr-886_history_you-know-the-greatest-lesson-of-history_2331654.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the…” — Anthony Doerr", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Americans treat history like a cookbook. Whenever they are uncertain what to do next, they turn to history and look up the proper recipe, invariably designated \"the lesson of history.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Russell Baker" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/americans-treat-history-like-a-cookbook-whenever-they-are-uncertain/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/russell-baker-2930_cookbook_americans-treat-history-like-a-cookbook_1349035.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/russell-baker-2930_cookbook_americans-treat-history-like-a-cookbook_1349035.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/russell-baker-2930_cookbook_americans-treat-history-like-a-cookbook_1349035.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Americans treat history like a cookbook. Whenever they are uncertain what to do next, they turn to history…” — Russell Baker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a lot we should be able to learn from history. And yet history proves that we never do. In fact, the main lesson of history is that we never learn the lessons of history. This makes us look so stupid that few people care to read it. They'd rather not be reminded. Any good history book is mainly just a long list of mistakes, complete with names and dates. It's very embarrassing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A. Whitney Brown" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-whitney-brown/there-s-a-lot-we-should-be-able-to-learn-from-history-and-yet-history/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/a-whitney-brown-27011_able_there-s-a-lot-we-should-be-able-to-learn_771397.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/a-whitney-brown-27011_able_there-s-a-lot-we-should-be-able-to-learn_771397.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/a-whitney-brown-27011_able_there-s-a-lot-we-should-be-able-to-learn_771397.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's a lot we should be able to learn from history. And yet history proves that we never do. In fact, the…” — A. Whitney Brown", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesson-history/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesson-history/", "name": "Lesson History Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesson-history/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/brandon-sanderson-112_history_nearly-everything-that-happened-had-happ_1410947.jpg" }, "description": "Browse 14 Lesson History quotes by 14 authors. 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