--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The people who have really made history…" description: "\"The people who have really made history are the martyrs.\" — Aleister Crowley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/aleister-crowley-1100_history_the-people-who-have-really-made-history_401511.png" --- # The people who have really made history are the martyrs. ![“The people who have really made history are the martyrs.” quote by Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/aleister-crowley-1100_history_the-people-who-have-really-made-history_401511.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/aleister-crowley-1100_history_the-people-who-have-really-made-history_401511.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/aleister-crowley-1100_history_the-people-who-have-really-made-history_401511.png) > “The people who have really made history are the martyrs.” [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History remembers those who sacrifice themselves for a cause, not merely those who achieve power. **In simple terms:** Martyrs shape collective memory. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of sacrifice. Themes sacrifice memory legacy Mood reflective somber Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - political movements - social reforms - religious martyrdom - civil rights activism Key Concepts historical narrative heroism Questions to Reflect On - What causes are worth personal sacrifice? - How does society decide who becomes a martyr? A Different Perspective Martyrdom can be romanticized, overlooking complex motives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Martyr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martyr/) [Martyrs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martyrs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Adaptation to one's environment makes for a sort of survival; but after all, the supreme victory is only won by those who prove themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/adaptation-to-one-s-environment-makes-for-a-sort-of-survival-but/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [...and it occurred to me, with the forcefulness of a thought experienced in 360 degrees, that that's really what history mostly is: masses of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/and-it-occurred-to-me-with-the-forcefulness-of-a-thought-experienced/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I really couldn't say how famous I really am, that's for the history books to decide. But I'll probably be pretty up there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/i-really-couldn-t-say-how-famous-i-really-am-that-s-for-the-history/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [My blood is no different from that of other martyrs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mir-hossein-mousavi/my-blood-is-no-different-from-that-of-other-martyrs/) [Mir-Hossein Mousavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mir-hossein-mousavi/) > [It is so little true that martyrs offer any support to the truth of a cause that I am inclined to deny that any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-so-little-true-that-martyrs-offer-any-support-to-the-truth-of-a/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [For some not to be martyrs is martyrdom indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/for-some-not-to-be-martyrs-is-martyrdom-indeed/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Through all history, from the beginning, a noble army of martyrs have fought fiercely and fallen bravely for that unseen mistress, their country. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-william-curtis/through-all-history-from-the-beginning-a-noble-army-of-martyrs-have/) [George William Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-william-curtis/) > [“We must all make the mental leap from the pious histories we have read in the martyrologies to the reality of living flesh and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/we-must-all-make-the-mental-leap-from-the-pious-histories-we-have/) [Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/) > [Those who die for their country are martyrs and those who live for their country are greater martyrs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagat-puran-singh/those-who-die-for-their-country-are-martyrs-and-those-who-live-for/) Bhagat Puran Singh > [The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/the-blood-of-the-martyrs-is-the-seed-of-the-church/) [Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/) > [Twenty-two martyrs were recognized, but there were many more, and not only Catholics. There were also Anglicans and some Mohammedans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/twenty-two-martyrs-were-recognized-but-there-were-many-more-and-not/) [Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/) > [ There are martyrs \[between Mexican people\], now I will canonize two. It is a population that you can't explain, you can't explain it because… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/there-are-martyrs-between-mexican-people-now-i-will-canonize-two-it/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [In the long, fierce struggle for freedom of opinion, the press, like the Church, counted its martyrs by thousands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/in-the-long-fierce-struggle-for-freedom-of-opinion-the-press-like-the/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [All of us have a secret desire to be seen as saints, heroes, martyrs. We are afraid to be children, to be ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/all-of-us-have-a-secret-desire-to-be-seen-as-saints-heroes-martyrs-we/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [Martyrs do not underrate the body, they allow it to be elevated on the cross. In this they are at one with their antagonists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-allow-it-to-be-elevated-on-the/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) ## More by Aleister Crowley > [“Remember that which is written: "Moderate strength rings the bell: great strength returns the penny." It is always the little bit extra that brings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/remember-that-which-is-written-moderate-strength-rings-the-bell-great/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Ordinary morality is only for ordinary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/ordinary-morality-is-only-for-ordinary-people/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [This formula of Love is universal; all the laws of Nature are its servitors. Thus, gravitation, chemical affinity, electrical potential, and the rest -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/this-formula-of-love-is-universal-all-the-laws-of-nature-are-its/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [The Gods are but names for the forces of Nature themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-gods-are-but-names-for-the-forces-of-nature-themselves/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Your kiss is bitter with cocaine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/your-kiss-is-bitter-with-cocaine/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [A single ego is an absurdly narrow vantage point from which to view the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/a-single-ego-is-an-absurdly-narrow-vantage-point-from-which-to-view/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [I must make MAGICK the essential factor in the life of ALL. In presenting this book to the world, I must then explain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/i-must-make-magick-the-essential-factor-in-the-life-of-all-in/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [What is it in absinthe that makes it a separate cult? The effects of its abuse are totally distinct from those of other stimulants.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/what-is-it-in-absinthe-that-makes-it-a-separate-cult-the-effects-of/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“Indubitably, Magick is one of the subtlest and most difficult of the sciences and arts. There is more opportunity for errors of comprehension, judgement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/indubitably-magick-is-one-of-the-subtlest-and-most-difficult-of-the/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Every one interprets everything in terms of his own experience. If you say anything which does not touch a precisely similar spot in another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/every-one-interprets-everything-in-terms-of-his-own-experience-if-you/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [I am inclined to agree with the Head Master of Eton that pæderastic passions among schoolboys 'do no harm'; further, I think them the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/i-am-inclined-to-agree-with-the-head-master-of-eton-that-p-derastic/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies, continual growth, constant change, the enjoyment of every new experience. To stop means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-joy-of-life-consists-in-the-exercise-of-one-s-energies-continual/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Every intentional act is a magical act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/every-intentional-act-is-a-magical-act/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“Sex is, directly or indirectly, the most powerful weapon in the armoury of the Magician; and precisely because there is no moral guide, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/sex-is-directly-or-indirectly-the-most-powerful-weapon-in-the-armoury/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [The old spelling MAGICK has been adopted throughout in order to distinguish the Science of the Magi from all its counterfeits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-old-spelling-magick-has-been-adopted-throughout-in-order-to/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) [Explore all 291 Aleister Crowley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The people who have really made history are the martyrs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aleister Crowley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-people-who-have-really-made-history-are-the-martyrs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-people-who-have-really-made-history-are-the-martyrs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/aleister-crowley-1100_history_the-people-who-have-really-made-history_401511.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/aleister-crowley-1100_history_the-people-who-have-really-made-history_401511.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/aleister-crowley-1100_history_the-people-who-have-really-made-history_401511.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The people who have really made history are the martyrs.” — Aleister Crowley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aleister Crowley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The people who have really made...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-people-who-have-really-made-history-are-the-martyrs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-people-who-have-really-made-history-are-the-martyrs/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```