--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is useful to remember that history is…" description: "\"It is useful to remember that history is to the nation as memory is to the individual. As a person deprived of memory becomes disorientated and lost, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr-14015_conception_it-is-useful-to-remember-that-history-is_2341063.png" --- # It is useful to remember that history is to the nation as… ![“It is useful to remember that history is to the nation as memory is to the individual. As a person deprived of memory becomes disorientated and lost, not knowing where they have been or where they are going , so a nation denied a conception of the past will be disabled in dealing with its present…” quote by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr-14015_conception_it-is-useful-to-remember-that-history-is_2341063.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr-14015_conception_it-is-useful-to-remember-that-history-is_2341063.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr-14015_conception_it-is-useful-to-remember-that-history-is_2341063.png) > “It is useful to remember that history is to the nation as memory is to the individual. As a person deprived of memory becomes disorientated and lost, not knowing where they have been or where they are going , so a nation denied a conception of the past will be disabled in dealing with its present and its future.” [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A nation's collective memory shapes its ability to navigate present challenges and future directions. **In simple terms:** Memory guides national progress. Key Takeaway Preserve history to inform policy. Themes history identity policy Mood analytical thoughtful Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - education curricula - public discourse - government planning - cultural preservation Key Concepts collective memory national narrative Questions to Reflect On - How does remembering past mistakes aid decision‑making? - What mechanisms protect accurate historical memory? A Different Perspective Selective memory can distort reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conception/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) ## Related quotes > [“This isn’t a matter for the eyes, it is a matter for the heart. Many signs point to a growing historical consciousness among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-isn-t-a-matter-for-the-eyes-it-is-a-matter-for-the-heart-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For history is to the nation as memory is to the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/for-history-is-to-the-nation-as-memory-is-to-the-individual/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [“Were a man to be totally deprived of memory, he would be incapable of forming any just opinion; everything about him would seem a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/were-a-man-to-be-totally-deprived-of-memory-he-would-be-incapable-of/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Our memory is made up of our individual memories and our collective memories. The two are intimately linked. And history is our collective memory.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/our-memory-is-made-up-of-our-individual-memories-and-our-collective/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Even if published in written form, history, it is argued, is not embedded as a memory at an individual level: it has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-keene/even-if-published-in-written-form-history-it-is-argued-is-not/) [Suzanne Keene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-keene/) > [“And they had nothing, except of course memories, their own, and those passed down by their mothers and mothers' mothers. A nation's memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/and-they-had-nothing-except-of-course-memories-their-own-and-those/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [I envy those Hindus and Buddhists who have in their religion philosophy and ancestor worship which build in the believer a continuity with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/i-envy-those-hindus-and-buddhists-who-have-in-their-religion/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Nothing is so retentive as a nation's memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-a-schumpeter/nothing-is-so-retentive-as-a-nation-s-memory/) [Joseph A. Schumpeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-a-schumpeter/) > [A generation without history is a generation that not only loses a nation's memory but loses a sense of what it's like to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/a-generation-without-history-is-a-generation-that-not-only-loses-a/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [But he has gone, A nation's memory and veneration, Among the radiant, ever venturing on, Somewhere, with morning, as such spirits will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-masefield/but-he-has-gone-a-nation-s-memory-and-veneration-among-the-radiant/) [John Masefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-masefield/) > [If you don't remember history accurately, how can you learn?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/if-you-don-t-remember-history-accurately-how-can-you-learn/) [Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/) > [When I despair I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won there have been tyrants and murderers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-despair-i-remember-that-all-through-history-the-way-of-truth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/remember-that-all-through-history-the-way-of-truth-and-love-has/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“On the board, Mr. Beery had written "Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it." I wasn't sure if this was meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/on-the-board-mr-beery-had-written-those-who-don-t-remember-history/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Remember that history always repeats itself. Every great bubble in history has broken. There are no exceptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-grantham/remember-that-history-always-repeats-itself-every-great-bubble-in/) [Jeremy Grantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-grantham/) ## More by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [History is full of surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/history-is-full-of-surprises/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [The genius of impeachment lay in the fact that it could punish the man without punishing the office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/the-genius-of-impeachment-lay-in-the-fact-that-it-could-punish-the/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Every President reconstructs the Presidency to meet his own psychological needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/every-president-reconstructs-the-presidency-to-meet-his-own/) [Arthur M. 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Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Few secret undertakings ever did any nation any good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/few-secret-undertakings-ever-did-any-nation-any-good/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [In Defense of the World Order . . . U.S. soldiers would have to kill and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/in-defense-of-the-world-order-u-s-soldiers-would-have-to-kill-and-die/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [In view of the tide of religiosity engulfing a once secular republic it is refreshing to be reminded by Freethinkers that free thought and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/in-view-of-the-tide-of-religiosity-engulfing-a-once-secular-republic/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [There is no more dangerous thing for a democracy than a foreign policy based on presidential preventive war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/there-is-no-more-dangerous-thing-for-a-democracy-than-a-foreign/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [If we are to survive, we must have ideas, vision, and courage. These things are rarely produced by committees. Everything that matters in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/if-we-are-to-survive-we-must-have-ideas-vision-and-courage-these/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [The military struggle may frankly be regarded for what it actually was, namely a war for independence, an armed attempt to imposethe views of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/the-military-struggle-may-frankly-be-regarded-for-what-it-actually/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Those who are convinced they have a monopoly on The Truth always feel that they are only saving the world when they slaughter the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/those-who-are-convinced-they-have-a-monopoly-on-the-truth-always-feel/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [There is far less to the Presidency, in terms of essential activity, than meets the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/there-is-far-less-to-the-presidency-in-terms-of-essential-activity/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) [Explore all 48 Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) ## More Conception quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“Take sex, for instance.' 'What do you want me to do with it?' 'Try to be serious for a moment. Take the sex life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/take-sex-for-instance-what-do-you-want-me-to-do-with-it-try-to-be/) [John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/) > [Bring the viewer to your side, include him in your thought. He is not a bystander. You have the power to increase his perceptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-lange/bring-the-viewer-to-your-side-include-him-in-your-thought-he-is-not-a/) [Dorothea Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-lange/) > [Most conservatives - by which I mean normal people - have little conception of the aggressive and revolutionary force that confronts them. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bethell/most-conservatives-by-which-i-mean-normal-people-have-little/) [Tom Bethell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bethell/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [For the utilitarian, there is a fact of the matter about the good (the general happiness, or whatever conception of the good the utilitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/for-the-utilitarian-there-is-a-fact-of-the-matter-about-the-good-the/) [Allen W. 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