--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Between history and the eternal I have…" description: "\"“Between history and the eternal I have chosen history because I like certainties.”\" — Albert Camus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/albert-camus-47_history_between-history-and-the-eternal-i-have-c_871179.jpg" --- # Between history and the eternal I have chosen history… ![“Between history and the eternal I have chosen history because I like certainties.” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/albert-camus-47_history_between-history-and-the-eternal-i-have-c_871179.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/albert-camus-47_history_between-history-and-the-eternal-i-have-c_871179.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/albert-camus-47_history_between-history-and-the-eternal-i-have-c_871179.jpg) > ““Between history and the eternal I have chosen history because I like certainties.”” [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker prefers history’s concrete facts over the uncertain, timeless nature of eternity. **In simple terms:** History offers certainty. Key Takeaway Value tangible knowledge over vague speculation. Themes certainty history existentialism Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - academic study - personal decision‑making - cultural identity Key Concepts philosophy epistemology Questions to Reflect On - What certainties do you rely on? - How does history shape identity? A Different Perspective History can be biased or incomplete. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ## Related quotes > [Between history and the eternal I have chosen history because I like certainties. Of it, at least, I am certain, and how can I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/between-history-and-the-eternal-i-have-chosen-history-because-i-like-2/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“America is a country in which the velocity of history is especially great, in which each succeeding decade wipes it's immediate predecessor out, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bailey/america-is-a-country-in-which-the-velocity-of-history-is-especially/) [George Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bailey/) > [Man's naked form belongs to no particular moment in history; it is eternal, and can be looked upon with joy by the people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-rodin/man-s-naked-form-belongs-to-no-particular-moment-in-history-it-is/) [Auguste Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-rodin/) > [“Latino history is like a river dividing the United States and Mexico. It is shared by several different cultures and called by many different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilan-stavans/latino-history-is-like-a-river-dividing-the-united-states-and-mexico/) Ilan Stavans > [A man who has no sense of history is like a man who has no ears or no eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/a-man-who-has-no-sense-of-history-is-like-a-man-who-has-no-ears-or-no/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I did not know that history is like a blood stain that keeps on showing on the wall no matter how many new owners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-did-not-know-that-history-is-like-a-blood-stain-that-keeps-on/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [As the great philosopher George Santayana would have said, 'those who cannot remember the past . . . should simply read Jan Van Meter's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-rocca/as-the-great-philosopher-george-santayana-would-have-said-those-who/) [Mo Rocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-rocca/) > [History is like a clock, it tells you your time of day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/history-is-like-a-clock-it-tells-you-your-time-of-day/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [“A town’s history is like a rambling old mansion filled with rooms and cubbyholes and laundry-chutes and garrets and all sorts of eccentric little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/a-town-s-history-is-like-a-rambling-old-mansion-filled-with-rooms-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“History is like a story with great characters, fantastic storylines, and wonderful settings. ~ Chip Lagerbom, 2011”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-webb/history-is-like-a-story-with-great-characters-fantastic-storylines/) [Dave Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-webb/) > [“History, like memories themselves, tended to become distorted with the passing of time, or worse, corrupted with the agendas of those writing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/history-like-memories-themselves-tended-to-become-distorted-with-the/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [My favorite thing is talking to people about history - that's what I like doing. The sort of history I do isn't just for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-worsley/my-favorite-thing-is-talking-to-people-about-history-that-s-what-i/) [Lucy Worsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-worsley/) > [Everyone becomes a part of history whether they like it or not and whether they know it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/everyone-becomes-a-part-of-history-whether-they-like-it-or-not-and/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [History is full of people who thought they were right -- absolutely right, completely right, without a shadow of a doubt. And because history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/history-is-full-of-people-who-thought-they-were-right-absolutely/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) > [“History was like an old house at night. With all the lamps lit. And ancestor whispering inside. To understand history, we have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy-the-god-of-small-things/history-was-like-an-old-house-at-night-with-all-the-lamps-lit-and/) Arundhati Roy; The God of Small Things ## More by Albert Camus > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) [Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More Eternal quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [“Please not yet. Those are the three eternal words. Please not yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/please-not-yet-those-are-the-three-eternal-words-please-not-yet/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [I remain an eternal optimist about love. 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All this pain is an illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/we-are-eternal-all-this-pain-is-an-illusion/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [In some respects I will never die. Because art is immortal. 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