--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In history there are no control groups…" description: "\"In history there are no control groups. There is no one to tell us what might have been. We weep over the might have been, but there is no might have b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/cormac-mccarthy-181_all-the-pretty-horse_in-history-there-are-no-control-groups-t_1007583.jpg" --- # In history there are no control groups. There is no one to… ![“In history there are no control groups. There is no one to tell us what might have been. We weep over the might have been, but there is no might have been. There never was.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/cormac-mccarthy-181_all-the-pretty-horse_in-history-there-are-no-control-groups-t_1007583.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/cormac-mccarthy-181_all-the-pretty-horse_in-history-there-are-no-control-groups-t_1007583.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/cormac-mccarthy-181_all-the-pretty-horse_in-history-there-are-no-control-groups-t_1007583.jpg) > “In history there are no control groups. There is no one to tell us what might have been. We weep over the might have been, but there is no might have been. There never was.” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History lacks experimental control; we can’t know alternate outcomes, only accept reality. **In simple terms:** History is fixed, we can’t test alternatives. Key Takeaway Live with present reality. Themes history uncertainty acceptance Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy analysis - personal decision making - grief counseling - education Key Concepts counterfactuals determinism Questions to Reflect On - What can you learn from past events? - How do you balance reflection with action? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on regret can hinder learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [All the pretty horses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-the-pretty-horses-6351/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Control Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-groups-457699/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Groups Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups-tell-2167315/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-control-1729956/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Might have been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might-have-been/) ## Related quotes > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group--bacteria, mice, people--and subject that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their-2/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Without the ability of issue groups to tell the truth, who knows what the public will believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weyrich/without-the-ability-of-issue-groups-to-tell-the-truth-who-knows-what/) [Paul Weyrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weyrich/) > [“He imagined the pain of the world to be like some formless parasitic being seeking out the warmth of human souls wherein to incubate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-imagined-the-pain-of-the-world-to-be-like-some-formless-parasitic/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [What he loved in horses was what he loved in men, the blood and the heat of the blood that ran them. All his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/what-he-loved-in-horses-was-what-he-loved-in-men-the-blood-and-the/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It is supposed to true that those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it. I don't believe knowing can save us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/it-is-supposed-to-true-that-those-who-do-not-know-history-are/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The storm front towered above them and the wind was cool on their sweating faces. They slumped bleary-eyed in their saddles and looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-storm-front-towered-above-them-and-the-wind-was-cool-on-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The rain had ripened all the country around and the roadside grass was luminous and green from the run-off and flowers were in bloom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-rain-had-ripened-all-the-country-around-and-the-roadside-grass/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [There is no greater monster than reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/there-is-no-greater-monster-than-reason/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [My daddy used to tell me not to chew on somethin that was eatin you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/my-daddy-used-to-tell-me-not-to-chew-on-somethin-that-was-eatin-you/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Belief in a religion is the perfect way to control groups of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-molyneux/belief-in-a-religion-is-the-perfect-way-to-control-groups-of-people/) [Peter Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-molyneux/) > [Our dreams of bringing the whole of human history under the control of the human will are ironically refuted by the fact that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/our-dreams-of-bringing-the-whole-of-human-history-under-the-control/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [It's time to stop letting your history control your destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/it-s-time-to-stop-letting-your-history-control-your-destiny/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [Yesterday is History. History brings us to this present moment, but it doesn't shape who we are at this present moment. We can't let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiana-webb/yesterday-is-history-history-brings-us-to-this-present-moment-but-it/) [Tiana Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiana-webb/) > [“We have no control over fate and history, but we can control how we conduct ourselves in this life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-zafra/we-have-no-control-over-fate-and-history-but-we-can-control-how-we/) [Jessica Zafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-zafra/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More All the pretty horses quotes > [There is no greater monster than reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/there-is-no-greater-monster-than-reason/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He imagined the pain of the world to be like some formless parasitic being seeking out the warmth of human souls wherein to incubate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-imagined-the-pain-of-the-world-to-be-like-some-formless-parasitic/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [My daddy used to tell me not to chew on somethin that was eatin you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/my-daddy-used-to-tell-me-not-to-chew-on-somethin-that-was-eatin-you/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The rain had ripened all the country around and the roadside grass was luminous and green from the run-off and flowers were in bloom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-rain-had-ripened-all-the-country-around-and-the-roadside-grass/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The storm front towered above them and the wind was cool on their sweating faces. They slumped bleary-eyed in their saddles and looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-storm-front-towered-above-them-and-the-wind-was-cool-on-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Men believe the cure for war is war as the curandero prescribes the serpent's flesh for its bite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-believe-the-cure-for-war-is-war-as-the-curandero-prescribes-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is supposed to true that those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it. I don't believe knowing can save us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/it-is-supposed-to-true-that-those-who-do-not-know-history-are/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [What he loved in horses was what he loved in men, the blood and the heat of the blood that ran them. All his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/what-he-loved-in-horses-was-what-he-loved-in-men-the-blood-and-the/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Browse all 9 All the pretty horses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-the-pretty-horses-6351/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In history there are no control groups. There is no one to tell us what might have been. We weep over the might have been, but there is no might have been. 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