--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is delusional. Not just an…" description: "\"History is delusional. Not just an illusion, it's a delusion. America is this giant country, so it has these big delusions, and history is where delusi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/david-means-12399_america_history-is-delusional-not-just-an-illusi_1740141.jpg" --- # History is delusional. Not just an illusion, it's a… ![“History is delusional. Not just an illusion, it's a delusion. America is this giant country, so it has these big delusions, and history is where delusions play out.” quote by David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/david-means-12399_america_history-is-delusional-not-just-an-illusi_1740141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/david-means-12399_america_history-is-delusional-not-just-an-illusi_1740141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/david-means-12399_america_history-is-delusional-not-just-an-illusi_1740141.jpg) > “History is delusional. Not just an illusion, it's a delusion. America is this giant country, so it has these big delusions, and history is where delusions play out.” [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History reflects collective delusions, especially in a large nation like America. **In simple terms:** History shows shared false beliefs, especially in America. Key Takeaway Question dominant narratives. Themes history national identity delusion Mood skeptical thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - education curricula - media analysis - public discourse - policy review Key Concepts collective memory critical theory Questions to Reflect On - What delusions shape your view? - How can we discern truth in history? A Different Perspective Challenging narratives can be controversial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) ## Related quotes > [As always, the illusion of self-transcendence is far more facile and available than self-transcendence itself: in the vast majority of cases what human consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/as-always-the-illusion-of-self-transcendence-is-far-more-facile-and/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [“In the illusion of delusion, between madness and lawlessness I exist. I dream about dreams, about illusions and disillusions and cold and madness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-c-lemus/in-the-illusion-of-delusion-between-madness-and-lawlessness-i-exist-i/) [E.C. Lemus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-c-lemus/) > [I think that I feel that I have no choice but to operate under the illusion, which may be a delusion, that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choice-but-to-operate-under-the/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [Everything appears to me to be authored, in some strange way. And I wonder if this is not the spreading assumption of the psychedelic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/everything-appears-to-me-to-be-authored-in-some-strange-way-and-i/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“On Make America Great Again: The agenda of a dead body coming back to life. Whenever you have the past (what is dead) presenting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannina-braschi/on-make-america-great-again-the-agenda-of-a-dead-body-coming-back-to/) [Giannina Braschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giannina-braschi/) > [The preserve of ambition and folly in pursuit of illusion, or delusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jarman/the-preserve-of-ambition-and-folly-in-pursuit-of-illusion-or-delusion/) [Derek Jarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jarman/) > [Satan, who is a wonderful contriver of delusions, is constantly laying snares to entrap ignorant and heedless people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/satan-who-is-a-wonderful-contriver-of-delusions-is-constantly-laying/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Though many schizophrenics become curiously attached to their delusions, the fading of the nondelusional world puts them in loneliness beyond all reckoning, a fixed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/though-many-schizophrenics-become-curiously-attached-to-their/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/respect-the-delicate-ecology-of-your-delusions/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“In many ways, life is about managing your delusions; keeping the ones that nourish and eliminating the ones that poison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/in-many-ways-life-is-about-managing-your-delusions-keeping-the-ones/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Doubt is the big machine. It grinds up the delusions of women and men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lavalle/doubt-is-the-big-machine-it-grinds-up-the-delusions-of-women-and-men/) [Victor LaValle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lavalle/) > [One of the most persistent of all delusions is the conviction that the source of our dissatisfaction lies outside ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-alan-wallace/one-of-the-most-persistent-of-all-delusions-is-the-conviction-that/) [B. Alan Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-alan-wallace/) > [Through our senses the world appears. Through our reactions we create delusions.Without reactions the world becomes clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/through-our-senses-the-world-appears-through-our-reactions-we-create/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Paranoia is a state of heightened awareness. Most people are persecuted beyond their wildest delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-steiner/paranoia-is-a-state-of-heightened-awareness-most-people-are/) Claude Steiner > [The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) ## More by David Means > [In the days following 9/11, when we were reeling and disoriented, there was a kind of solace to be found in old recordings, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/in-the-days-following-9-11-when-we-were-reeling-and-disoriented-there/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Wars never simply end, not for those in combat and not for the culture, and one way or another, they shape-shift from generation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/wars-never-simply-end-not-for-those-in-combat-and-not-for-the-culture/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Every interaction with another person involves a dance of expectation, even when you're just passing someone in the street. Inside those moments - however…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/every-interaction-with-another-person-involves-a-dance-of-expectation/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I love the nooks and crannies of the American landscape; the back roads and back alleys, the places that are still untouched by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-love-the-nooks-and-crannies-of-the-american-landscape-the-back/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I love novels, and I read them more than anything, but stories cut in sharp and hard and are able to reveal things in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-love-novels-and-i-read-them-more-than-anything-but-stories-cut-in/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [The more you know about Bob Dylan, the less you know. A truly enigmatic artist, Mr. Dylan's work and life offer vaporous handholds, explanations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/the-more-you-know-about-bob-dylan-the-less-you-know-a-truly-enigmatic/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [As a story writer, you have work with sharp but relatively small tools, the picks of metaphor, the shovel blade of images, the trowel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/as-a-story-writer-you-have-work-with-sharp-but-relatively-small-tools/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [In 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac,' Mr. Yorke's lyrics were often unfathomable, moaned and mumbled and forced beneath the surface of the music. In 'Hail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/in-kid-a-and-amnesiac-mr-yorke-s-lyrics-were-often-unfathomable/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Alice Munro is an atomic writer blasting doors into narrative time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/alice-munro-is-an-atomic-writer-blasting-doors-into-narrative-time/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Iggy Pop is a pure Michigan product - gritty, smart, but not afraid of looking stupid or foolish. His father was once a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/iggy-pop-is-a-pure-michigan-product-gritty-smart-but-not-afraid-of/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I like landscape, I guess. It's kind of a game to see how you can describe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-like-landscape-i-guess-it-s-kind-of-a-game-to-see-how-you-can/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [You don't know what you need when you're a young writer. You can get small slivers of critical input, advice, comments, but if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/you-don-t-know-what-you-need-when-you-re-a-young-writer-you-can-get/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I'm not sure if a writer should talk about themes. Themes arrive out of the deeper structure and concerns, but to me, the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-m-not-sure-if-a-writer-should-talk-about-themes-themes-arrive-out/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I was an at-home father, taking care of them for seven years when they were babies. I was one of those new-age, at-home dads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-was-an-at-home-father-taking-care-of-them-for-seven-years-when-they/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I'm a relatively optimistic kind of guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-m-a-relatively-optimistic-kind-of-guy/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) [Explore all 55 David Means quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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