--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only important thing to realise about…" description: "\"The only important thing to realise about history is that it all took place in the last five minutes.\" — Celia Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/celia-green-21613_five_the-only-important-thing-to-realise-abou_3203934.png" --- # The only important thing to realise about history is that… ![“The only important thing to realise about history is that it all took place in the last five minutes.” quote by Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/celia-green-21613_five_the-only-important-thing-to-realise-abou_3203934.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/celia-green-21613_five_the-only-important-thing-to-realise-abou_3203934.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/celia-green-21613_five_the-only-important-thing-to-realise-abou_3203934.png) > “The only important thing to realise about history is that it all took place in the last five minutes.” [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History feels immediate because we experience it in the present moment, compressing past events into a short mental span. **In simple terms:** History seems recent because we live it now. Key Takeaway Remember that history is a long continuum. Themes time history perception memory Mood thoughtful introspective Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - education - museum visits - personal reflection - media consumption Key Concepts temporal cognition historical awareness psychology Questions to Reflect On - What recent events will seem distant tomorrow? - How does immediacy affect your understanding of history? A Different Perspective Our sense of time can distort long‑term significance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Five minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-minutes/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-took-3127958/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-thing/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Realise History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realise-history-5959186/) [Realising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realising/) [Thing Realise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-realise-5959188/) [Took Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-place-807366/) ## Related quotes > [“The sixties - most of which took place in the seventies...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorndike/the-sixties-most-of-which-took-place-in-the-seventies/) [John Thorndike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorndike/) > [“I took a place in one of the lines. Progress”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-took-a-place-in-one-of-the-lines-progress/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Madness slunk in through a chink in History. It only took a moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/madness-slunk-in-through-a-chink-in-history-it-only-took-a-moment/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“History took hold of me and never let me go thereafter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/history-took-hold-of-me-and-never-let-me-go-thereafter/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The past actually happened. History is what someone took the time to write down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-whitney-brown/the-past-actually-happened-history-is-what-someone-took-the-time-to/) [A. Whitney Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-whitney-brown/) > [Throughout history, it took centuries for the habits of one culture to materially affect another. Now, that which becomes popular in one country can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-hock/throughout-history-it-took-centuries-for-the-habits-of-one-culture-to/) [Dee Hock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-hock/) > [I didn't really want to be an actor when I was growing up - I wanted to be whatever I was reading about or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-sudeikis/i-didn-t-really-want-to-be-an-actor-when-i-was-growing-up-i-wanted-to/) [Jason Sudeikis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-sudeikis/) > [The problem with movies and books is they make evil look glamorous, exciting, when it's no such thing. It's boring and it's depressing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-problem-with-movies-and-books-is-they-make-evil-look-glamorous/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [In five minutes the earth would be a desert, and you cling to books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/in-five-minutes-the-earth-would-be-a-desert-and-you-cling-to-books/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [My biggest fear is overreaching. I have been in situations where I felt swamped, and it's turned out really well; and I've had other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/my-biggest-fear-is-overreaching-i-have-been-in-situations-where-i/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [Women are all the bloody sameyou can't love for five minutes without wanting it abolished in brats and house bloody wifery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/women-are-all-the-bloody-sameyou-can-t-love-for-five-minutes-without/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [A Sufi mystic who had always remained happy was asked… For seventy years people had watched him, he had never been found sad. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/a-sufi-mystic-who-had-always-remained-happy-was-asked-for-seventy/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Like I said, a sketch is one joke. They shouldn't really be more than a minute, two minutes. There are some shows where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-andre/like-i-said-a-sketch-is-one-joke-they-shouldn-t-really-be-more-than-a/) [Eric Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-andre/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) ## More by Celia Green > [People have been marrying and bringing up children for centuries now. Nothing has ever come of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/people-have-been-marrying-and-bringing-up-children-for-centuries-now/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [In an autocracy, one person has his way; in an aristocracy, a few people have their way; in a democracy, no one has his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/in-an-autocracy-one-person-has-his-way-in-an-aristocracy-a-few-people/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [The charms of money are distinctly under-represented in literature. There are no songs or poems extolling its virtues. This seems on the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/the-charms-of-money-are-distinctly-under-represented-in-literature/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [Research is a way of taking calculated risks to bring about incalculable consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/research-is-a-way-of-taking-calculated-risks-to-bring-about/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [The way to do research is to attack the facts at the point of greatest astonishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/the-way-to-do-research-is-to-attack-the-facts-at-the-point-of/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [It is curious that while one's education is the part of one's life over the conditions of which one has least individual control, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/it-is-curious-that-while-one-s-education-is-the-part-of-one-s-life/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [Society expresses its sympathy for the geniuses of the past to distract attention from the fact that it has no intention of being sympathetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/society-expresses-its-sympathy-for-the-geniuses-of-the-past-to/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [The chief difficulty of modern theoretical physics resides not in the fact that it expresses itself almost exclusively in mathematical symbols, but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/the-chief-difficulty-of-modern-theoretical-physics-resides-not-in-the/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [The psychology of committees is a special case of the psychology of mobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/the-psychology-of-committees-is-a-special-case-of-the-psychology-of/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [When someone says his conclusions are objective, he means that they are based on prejudices which many other people share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/when-someone-says-his-conclusions-are-objective-he-means-that-they/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [I cannot write long books; I leave that for those who have nothing to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/i-cannot-write-long-books-i-leave-that-for-those-who-have-nothing-to/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [Only the impossible is worth attempting. In everything else one is sure to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/only-the-impossible-is-worth-attempting-in-everything-else-one-is/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [It is superfluous to be humble on one's own behalf; so many people are willing to do it for one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/it-is-superfluous-to-be-humble-on-one-s-own-behalf-so-many-people-are/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [Most of the research which is done is determined by the requirement that it shall, in a fairly obvious and predictable way, reinforce the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/most-of-the-research-which-is-done-is-determined-by-the-requirement/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [Lack of clarity is always a sign of dishonesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/lack-of-clarity-is-always-a-sign-of-dishonesty/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) [Explore all 29 Celia Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) ## More Five quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Five days or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/five-days-or-five-months-but-it-certainly-isn-t-going-to-last-longer/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [If you look at the charts every year, there may be five or ten memorable songs from each year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-jackson/if-you-look-at-the-charts-every-year-there-may-be-five-or-ten/) [Randy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-jackson/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/) [Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [I don't think we need a featuring though , because five of us are enough .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyun-joong/i-don-t-think-we-need-a-featuring-though-because-five-of-us-are-enough/) [Kim Hyun-joong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyun-joong/) > [People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/people-who-are-complaining-about-the-fed-are-people-who-ve-been/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [I am naturally a thin person and I am 5'1" and putting on five or 10 pounds, that looks like a lot on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-am-naturally-a-thin-person-and-i-am-5-1-and-putting-on-five-or-10/) [Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/) > [The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-official-independence-celebration-was-going-to-be-held-over-four/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Man, you'd be surprised how much I'm learning - not only about myself, but about the musicians who came before me. You don't realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-hubbard/man-you-d-be-surprised-how-much-i-m-learning-not-only-about-myself/) [Freddie Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-hubbard/) > [A lot of times, when people send me books to read - new writers mostly - I find that the book is still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/a-lot-of-times-when-people-send-me-books-to-read-new-writers-mostly-i/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) [Browse all 6,265 Five quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only important thing to realise about history is that it all took place in the last five minutes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Celia Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/the-only-important-thing-to-realise-about-history-is-that-it-all-took/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Five" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/the-only-important-thing-to-realise-about-history-is-that-it-all-took/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/celia-green-21613_five_the-only-important-thing-to-realise-abou_3203934.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/celia-green-21613_five_the-only-important-thing-to-realise-abou_3203934.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/celia-green-21613_five_the-only-important-thing-to-realise-abou_3203934.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only important thing to realise about history is that it all took place in the last five minutes.” — Celia Green", "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": "Celia Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only important thing to realise...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/the-only-important-thing-to-realise-about-history-is-that-it-all-took/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/the-only-important-thing-to-realise-about-history-is-that-it-all-took/#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 } } ] } ```