--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you think about it, the historian's…" description: "\"If you think about it, the historian's task is like that of the detective.\" — David Herbert Donald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/david-herbert-donald-27496_detective_if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-ta_2281513.jpg" --- # If you think about it, the historian's task is like that… ![“If you think about it, the historian's task is like that of the detective.” quote by David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/david-herbert-donald-27496_detective_if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-ta_2281513.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/david-herbert-donald-27496_detective_if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-ta_2281513.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/david-herbert-donald-27496_detective_if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-ta_2281513.jpg) > “If you think about it, the historian's task is like that of the detective.” [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical research resembles detective work: gathering clues, interpreting evidence, and constructing narratives. **In simple terms:** History is detective work. Key Takeaway Investigate facts thoroughly. Themes history investigation truth analysis methodology Mood analytical inquisitive Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - archival research - solving mysteries - writing biographies Key Concepts critical thinking source evaluation interpretation Questions to Reflect On - What clues shape your understanding of the past? - How do you handle conflicting sources? A Different Perspective Evidence can be ambiguous, leading to multiple interpretations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) [Detectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detectives/) [Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian/) [Historian Task](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian-task-1383520/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Like Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-detective-517988/) [Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasks/) [Think Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-historian-3197738/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I think like a detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-think-like-a-detective/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [The historian's one task is to tell the thing as it happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucian/the-historian-s-one-task-is-to-tell-the-thing-as-it-happened/) [Lucian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucian/) > [Read like a detective and write like a conscientious investigative reporter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-coleman/read-like-a-detective-and-write-like-a-conscientious-investigative/) [David Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-coleman/) > [I don’t think I would ever want to be a writer of detective stories - but I would like to be a detective and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lavin/i-don-t-think-i-would-ever-want-to-be-a-writer-of-detective-stories/) [Mary Lavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lavin/) > [“Be like a detective. See what’s going on around you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/be-like-a-detective-see-what-s-going-on-around-you/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [It's no secret - I love detective fiction. One of the reasons I love being in London is because I like to watch all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/it-s-no-secret-i-love-detective-fiction-one-of-the-reasons-i-love/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Delving into history is not an escape for me. I'm like a detective, sniffing for clues with a terrier-like excitement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/delving-into-history-is-not-an-escape-for-me-i-m-like-a-detective/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [“I'd like to give these detective story writers a course of routine work. They'd soon learn how most things are untraceable and nobody ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-d-like-to-give-these-detective-story-writers-a-course-of-routine/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [ \[T\]he historian and the detective have much in common. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-davis/t-he-historian-and-the-detective-have-much-in-common/) [Ralph Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-davis/) > [I think 'Historian' is ultimately a positive record, but I was a little bit worried about taking people into a dark world. I tried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/i-think-historian-is-ultimately-a-positive-record-but-i-was-a-little/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [The moment you make a photograph you consign whatever you photograph to the past as that specific moment no longer exists, it is history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-killip/the-moment-you-make-a-photograph-you-consign-whatever-you-photograph/) [Chris Killip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-killip/) > [The most difficult problem in personal knowledge, whether of oneself or of others, is the problem of guessing when to think as a historian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/the-most-difficult-problem-in-personal-knowledge-whether-of-oneself/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/what-the-detective-story-is-about-is-not-murder-but-the-restoration/) [P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/) > [Detective, I don't know where the boyfriend is, really," I said. And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/detective-i-don-t-know-where-the-boyfriend-is-really-i-said-and-it/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. They like to imagine tense conversations going on behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-general-public-have-a-warped-view-of-the-speed-at-which-an/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) ## More by David Herbert Donald > [Maybe I will write a memoir, perhaps I'll do some essays, or maybe I will write a mystery story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/maybe-i-will-write-a-memoir-perhaps-i-ll-do-some-essays-or-maybe-i/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [In Lincoln's day a President's religion was a very private affair. There were no public prayer meetings, no attempts to woo the Religious Right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/in-lincoln-s-day-a-president-s-religion-was-a-very-private-affair/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [But I have tried to go over it very carefully, not merely what the evidence is, but with psychoanalysts and psychologists, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/but-i-have-tried-to-go-over-it-very-carefully-not-merely-what-the/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [“Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was 272 words and he delivered it under three minutes. He labored on it for days. The "featured speaker," Edward Everett,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/lincoln-s-gettysburg-address-was-272-words-and-he-delivered-it-under/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [And, finally, Lincoln was not a good impromptu speaker; he was at his best when he could read from a carefully prepared manuscript. Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/and-finally-lincoln-was-not-a-good-impromptu-speaker-he-was-at-his/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [Well, it seems to me Lincoln, I suppose, is kind of a model of a particular sort of presidency, a presidency that first of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/well-it-seems-to-me-lincoln-i-suppose-is-kind-of-a-model-of-a/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [“Sumner’s mind keeping the peace abroad was connected with freeing the slaves at home. Repeatedly he tried to convince Lincoln that by issuing an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/sumner-s-mind-keeping-the-peace-abroad-was-connected-with-freeing-the/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [The more I have studied Lincoln, the more I have followed his thought processes, the more I am convinced that he understood leadership better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/the-more-i-have-studied-lincoln-the-more-i-have-followed-his-thought/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [At the beginning, Lincoln was so inexperienced he had reverence for military expertise, not realizing that there wasn't any military expertise, that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/at-the-beginning-lincoln-was-so-inexperienced-he-had-reverence-for/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [I love mysteries, and I read them every night before I go to bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/i-love-mysteries-and-i-read-them-every-night-before-i-go-to-bed/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [Lincoln was not a good impromptu speaker; he was at his best when he could read from a carefully prepared manuscript, though maybe a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/lincoln-was-not-a-good-impromptu-speaker-he-was-at-his-best-when-he/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [I think, with the gay liberation movement has had need for heroes and heroines, and it would be rather nice to have Abraham Lincoln…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/i-think-with-the-gay-liberation-movement-has-had-need-for-heroes-and/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [I was able to sit at Lincoln's side and see how he thought and how he acted, and how he felt about what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/i-was-able-to-sit-at-lincoln-s-side-and-see-how-he-thought-and-how-he/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [Lincoln had no such person that he could talk with. Often, as a result, he debated with himself, and he would draw up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/lincoln-had-no-such-person-that-he-could-talk-with-often-as-a-result/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [The big biography of Lincoln necessarily had to do so much with his political career, his ambitions, his accomplishments in public, with less time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/the-big-biography-of-lincoln-necessarily-had-to-do-so-much-with-his/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) [Explore all 20 David Herbert Donald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) ## More Detective quotes > [“When I saw the Twilight movies I thought being a Vampyre was so romantic. When my friends decided to be Vampyres it was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abramelin-keldor/when-i-saw-the-twilight-movies-i-thought-being-a-vampyre-was-so/) [Abramelin Keldor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abramelin-keldor/) > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. They like to imagine tense conversations going on behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-general-public-have-a-warped-view-of-the-speed-at-which-an/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Stomach full of jitters, little beasts that were second cousins to guacamolians—little green monsters that wreaked havoc in your stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kely-mcclung/stomach-full-of-jitters-little-beasts-that-were-second-cousins-to/) [William Kely McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kely-mcclung/) > [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-is-ridiculous-to-set-a-detective-story-in-new-york-city-new-york/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [Arthur Conan Doyle was entranced by the notion of a brilliant detective who can deduce everything a stranger has been up to from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-yglesias/arthur-conan-doyle-was-entranced-by-the-notion-of-a-brilliant/) [Rafael Yglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-yglesias/) > [Detective, I don't know where the boyfriend is, really," I said. And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/detective-i-don-t-know-where-the-boyfriend-is-really-i-said-and-it/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/what-the-detective-story-is-about-is-not-murder-but-the-restoration/) [P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/) > [Sure, I'll have characters drop in and out of books but the main cast of characters always changes. Maybe I'm wrong but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/sure-i-ll-have-characters-drop-in-and-out-of-books-but-the-main-cast/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) > [Johannes Cabal would kill me for saying this, but he's my favorite Zeppelin-hopping detective. The fellow has got all the charm of Bond and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/johannes-cabal-would-kill-me-for-saying-this-but-he-s-my-favorite/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“My motto? Don’t trust someone who is just as cagey as yourself." "What kind of detective are you?” “A lousy one and proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-a-edelheit/my-motto-don-t-trust-someone-who-is-just-as-cagey-as-yourself-what/) [Peggy A. Edelheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-a-edelheit/) > [“...you cannot enter into an investigation with a philosophy that dictates the outcome. Objectivity is paramount; this is the first principle of detective work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-cannot-enter-into-an-investigation-with-a-philosophy-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I'm home with no chore at hand, and a package of books has come, the television set and the chess board and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/if-i-m-home-with-no-chore-at-hand-and-a-package-of-books-has-come-the/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [I like the idea of playing a historical detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-mendes/i-like-the-idea-of-playing-a-historical-detective/) [Eva Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-mendes/) > [You find when you're writing a detective story that you're actually not trying to solve anything. You're trying to stop the reader from solving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/you-find-when-you-re-writing-a-detective-story-that-you-re-actually/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) [Browse all 482 Detective quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you think about it, the historian's task is like that of the detective.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Herbert Donald" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-task-is-like-that-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Detective" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-task-is-like-that-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/david-herbert-donald-27496_detective_if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-ta_2281513.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/david-herbert-donald-27496_detective_if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-ta_2281513.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/david-herbert-donald-27496_detective_if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-ta_2281513.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you think about it, the historian's task is like that of the detective.” — David Herbert Donald", "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": "David Herbert Donald", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you think about it, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-task-is-like-that-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-task-is-like-that-of-the/#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 } } ] } ```