--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People don't know the past, even though…" description: "\"People don't know the past, even though we live in literate societies, because they don't trust the sources of the past.\" — Daniel Pauly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/daniel-pauly-31821_don-t-trust_people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-w_2407479.png" --- # People don't know the past, even though we live in… ![“People don't know the past, even though we live in literate societies, because they don't trust the sources of the past.” quote by Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/daniel-pauly-31821_don-t-trust_people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-w_2407479.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/daniel-pauly-31821_don-t-trust_people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-w_2407479.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/daniel-pauly-31821_don-t-trust_people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-w_2407479.png) > “People don't know the past, even though we live in literate societies, because they don't trust the sources of the past.” [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mistrust of historical sources leads to ignorance of past lessons. **In simple terms:** Distrust of sources blinds us to history. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate sources to learn from history. Themes history trust knowledge society Mood analytical skeptical Type historical educational When to use this quote - academic research - public policy - personal learning Key Concepts epistemology media literacy education Questions to Reflect On - Why do we distrust historical narratives? - How can we rebuild trust in sources? A Different Perspective Overreliance on authority can hinder insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Fiction writing, and the reading of it, and book buying, have always been the activities of a tiny minority of people, even in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/fiction-writing-and-the-reading-of-it-and-book-buying-have-always/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Culture, with its processes and functions, is a subject upon which we need all the enlightenment we can achieve, and there is no direction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/culture-with-its-processes-and-functions-is-a-subject-upon-which-we/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [“You know, everyone has a past. Sometimes, it’s what makes us who we are, but sometimes, it lets us know who we don’t ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-wilder/you-know-everyone-has-a-past-sometimes-it-s-what-makes-us-who-we-are/) L. Wilder > [How can I know anything about the past or the future, when the light of the Beloved shines only Now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/how-can-i-know-anything-about-the-past-or-the-future-when-the-light/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I always live in the present. The future I can't know. The past I no longer have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-always-live-in-the-present-the-future-i-can-t-know-the-past-i-no/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future, look into your present actions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mulfat/if-you-want-to-know-your-past-look-into-your-present-conditions-if/) [Mulfat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mulfat/) > [“I know the past will drag you backward and down, have you snatching at whispers of wind & the gibberish of trees rubbing together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/i-know-the-past-will-drag-you-backward-and-down-have-you-snatching-at-2/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“I know the past will drag you backward and down, have you snatching at whispers of wind and the gibberish of trees rubbing together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/i-know-the-past-will-drag-you-backward-and-down-have-you-snatching-at/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [How do I know the past is not a fiction conceived to reconcile the difference between my state of mind and the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/how-do-i-know-the-past-is-not-a-fiction-conceived-to-reconcile-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Architects have to know everything there is to know about a space. You have to know its past and present. That way you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyung-sook-shin/architects-have-to-know-everything-there-is-to-know-about-a-space-you/) [Kyung-sook Shin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyung-sook-shin/) > [“And I know that the past version of me is someone you would never trust. But who I am when I’m with you” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sterling/and-i-know-that-the-past-version-of-me-is-someone-you-would-never/) [J. Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sterling/) > [We can predict the present without having to know everything about the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/we-can-predict-the-present-without-having-to-know-everything-about/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) > [At each point in our lives, we are at a crossroads. We are the fruit of our past and we are the architects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/at-each-point-in-our-lives-we-are-at-a-crossroads-we-are-the-fruit-of/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [Our scars make us know that our past was for real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/our-scars-make-us-know-that-our-past-was-for-real/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [The more my fans know about my past, the more they'll be able to predict and understand some of the moves I make in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/the-more-my-fans-know-about-my-past-the-more-they-ll-be-able-to/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) ## More by Daniel Pauly > [The crisis of the fisheries is similar to our economy. This is not one fishery failing, but the whole system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/the-crisis-of-the-fisheries-is-similar-to-our-economy-this-is-not-one/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [We transform the world, but we don't remember it. We adjust our baseline to the new level, and we don't recall what was there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/we-transform-the-world-but-we-don-t-remember-it-we-adjust-our/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [If you think of having a family as being loved as a child, cared for - I did not experience that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/if-you-think-of-having-a-family-as-being-loved-as-a-child-cared-for-i/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [In the Java Sea in Indonesia, I have seen fishers going out in the morning, six of them going out and coming back with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/in-the-java-sea-in-indonesia-i-have-seen-fishers-going-out-in-the/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [We suggest that in the next decades fisheries management will have to emphasize the rebuilding of fish populations embedded within functional food webs, within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/we-suggest-that-in-the-next-decades-fisheries-management-will-have-to/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [Small-scale fisheries should not be favoured over large-scale operations ebcause of romantic notions of rugged small operators battling both the elements and anonymous corporations.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/small-scale-fisheries-should-not-be-favoured-over-large-scale/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [I'm developing a physiological theory of growth and oxygen requirement. If it's well-understood how fish require oxygen to grow, then we can understand how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/i-m-developing-a-physiological-theory-of-growth-and-oxygen/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [There is no need for an end to fish, or to fishing for that matter. But there is an urgent need for governments to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/there-is-no-need-for-an-end-to-fish-or-to-fishing-for-that-matter-but/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [Tilapia have often been represented as the aquatic chicken, and it's perfectly justified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/tilapia-have-often-been-represented-as-the-aquatic-chicken-and-it-s/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [An animal that is very abundant, before it gets extinct, it becomes rare. So you don't lose abundant animals. You always lose rare animals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/an-animal-that-is-very-abundant-before-it-gets-extinct-it-becomes/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [I personally like the idea of shellfish aquaculture. These are animals that stay quiet, they stay where you put them, and they clean up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/i-personally-like-the-idea-of-shellfish-aquaculture-these-are-animals/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [If we don't manage this resource, we will be left with a diet of jellyfish and plankton stew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/if-we-don-t-manage-this-resource-we-will-be-left-with-a-diet-of/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [Our oceans have been the victims of a giant Ponzi scheme, waged with Bernie Madoff-like callousness by the world's fisheries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/our-oceans-have-been-the-victims-of-a-giant-ponzi-scheme-waged-with/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [Eating a tuna roll at a sushi restaurant should be considered no more environmentally benign than driving a Hummer or harpooning a manatee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/eating-a-tuna-roll-at-a-sushi-restaurant-should-be-considered-no-more/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) > [While the climate crisis gathers front-page attention on a regular basis, people - even those who profess great environmental consciousness - continue to eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/while-the-climate-crisis-gathers-front-page-attention-on-a-regular/) [Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) [Explore all 16 Daniel Pauly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/) ## More Don't trust quotes > [“Murray said, 'I don't trust anybody's nostalgia but my own. Nostalgia is a product of dissatisfaction and rage. It´s a settling of grievances between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/murray-said-i-don-t-trust-anybody-s-nostalgia-but-my-own-nostalgia-is/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [A single woman should only marry a man she can follow: Ladies if you are single, be very, very careful who you date and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/a-single-woman-should-only-marry-a-man-she-can-follow-ladies-if-you/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [I don't trust art that promises a 24-hour joyride. In fact, there seems to be a modern sense of entitlement for such constant "ups,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ware/i-don-t-trust-art-that-promises-a-24-hour-joyride-in-fact-there-seems/) [Chris Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ware/) > [On investments, 1998: Where I'm from we don't trust paper. Wealth is what's here on the premises. If I open a cupboard and see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/on-investments-1998-where-i-m-from-we-don-t-trust-paper-wealth-is/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I don't trust anyone who hasn't been self-destructiv e in some way, and who hasn't gone through some sort of bout of self-loathing. You've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/i-don-t-trust-anyone-who-hasn-t-been-self-destructiv-e-in-some-way/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [I don't trust a girl who doesn't have any girlfriends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/i-don-t-trust-a-girl-who-doesn-t-have-any-girlfriends/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [When you ask me to sign your NDA, you're basically saying, in writing, that you don't trust me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-dash/when-you-ask-me-to-sign-your-nda-you-re-basically-saying-in-writing/) Anil Dash > [Don't cry upon you losses Don't mesure today with tommorows Don't trust to passed and coming day Believe in now - and be happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/don-t-cry-upon-you-losses-don-t-mesure-today-with-tommorows-don-t/) [Omar Khayyam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/) > [When I see someone with an immaculate sketchbook, I don't trust that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kody-chamberlain/when-i-see-someone-with-an-immaculate-sketchbook-i-don-t-trust-that/) Kody Chamberlain > [You're just a silly little Whitehall twit: you don't trust me and I don't trust you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/you-re-just-a-silly-little-whitehall-twit-you-don-t-trust-me-and-i/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [I've only ever trusted my gut on everything. I don't trust my head, I don't trust my heart, I trust my gut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-adams/i-ve-only-ever-trusted-my-gut-on-everything-i-don-t-trust-my-head-i/) [Bryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-adams/) > [I don't have anything against God. Far from it. But I don't understand Him. And I don't trust a lot of the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-don-t-have-anything-against-god-far-from-it-but-i-don-t-understand/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [We always get into trouble when we doubt God's love, because when we don't trust him, we don't obey him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/we-always-get-into-trouble-when-we-doubt-god-s-love-because-when-we/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I don't trust lawyers and journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ling/i-don-t-trust-lawyers-and-journalists/) [Lisa Ling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-ling/) > [One of the great sadnesses of modern life, because of our disenfranchisement and disillusionment with religion, is that we don't have access to these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/one-of-the-great-sadnesses-of-modern-life-because-of-our/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) Browse all 279 Don't trust quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People don't know the past, even though we live in literate societies, because they don't trust the sources of the past.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Pauly" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-we-live-in-literate-societies/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Don't trust" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-we-live-in-literate-societies/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/daniel-pauly-31821_don-t-trust_people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-w_2407479.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/daniel-pauly-31821_don-t-trust_people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-w_2407479.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/daniel-pauly-31821_don-t-trust_people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-w_2407479.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People don't know the past, even though we live in literate societies, because they don't trust the sources…” — Daniel Pauly", "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": "Daniel Pauly", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People don't know the past, even...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-we-live-in-literate-societies/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/people-don-t-know-the-past-even-though-we-live-in-literate-societies/#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 } } ] } ```