--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I suppose you must feel some bitterness…" description: "\"“I suppose you must feel some bitterness against the historians,\" Roger ventured. \"All the writers who got it wrong--made him out to be a hero. I mean,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/diana-gabaldon-185_historial-fiction_i-suppose-you-must-feel-some-bitterness_1142340.jpg" --- # I suppose you must feel some bitterness against the… ![“I suppose you must feel some bitterness against the historians," Roger ventured. "All the writers who got it wrong--made him out to be a hero. I mean, you can't go anywhere in the Highlands without seeing the Bonnie Prince on toffee tins and souvenir tourist mugs." Claire shook her head, gazing…” quote by Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/diana-gabaldon-185_historial-fiction_i-suppose-you-must-feel-some-bitterness_1142340.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/diana-gabaldon-185_historial-fiction_i-suppose-you-must-feel-some-bitterness_1142340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/diana-gabaldon-185_historial-fiction_i-suppose-you-must-feel-some-bitterness_1142340.jpg) > ““I suppose you must feel some bitterness against the historians," Roger ventured. "All the writers who got it wrong--made him out to be a hero. I mean, you can't go anywhere in the Highlands without seeing the Bonnie Prince on toffee tins and souvenir tourist mugs." Claire shook her head, gazing off in the distance. The evening mist was growing heavier, the bushes beginning to drip again from the tips of their leaves. "Not the historians. No, not them. Their greatest crime is that they presume to know what happened, how things come about, when they only have what the past chose to leave them behind--for the most part, they think what they were meant to think, and it's a rare one that sees what really happened, behind the smokescreen of artifacts and paper." There was a faint rumble in the distance. The evening passenger train from London, Roger knew. You could hear the whistle from the manse on clear nights. "No, the fault lies with the artists," Claire went on. The writers, the singers, the tellers of tales. It's them that take the past and re-create it to their liking. Them that could take a fool and give you back a hero, take a sot and make him a king." "Are they all liars, then?" Roger asked. Claire shrugged. In spite of the chilly air, she had taken off the jacket to her suit; the damp molded the cotton shirt to show the fineness of collarbone and shoulder blades. "Liars?" she asked. "Or sorcerers? Do they see the bones in the dust of the earth, see the essence of a thing that was, and clothe it in new flesh, so the plodding beast reemerges as a fabulous monster?”” [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical narratives are shaped by storytellers who reinterpret facts, turning ordinary people into legends or villains. **In simple terms:** Storytellers reshape history, creating heroes and myths. Key Takeaway Question critically the sources of history. Themes history interpretation mythmaking truth power Mood reflective skeptical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - Academic research - museum curation - family oral histories - media analysis - literary criticism Key Concepts Narrative construction collective memory authorial bias Questions to Reflect On - How do we differentiate fact from artistic license? - What responsibilities do creators have to historical accuracy? A Different Perspective Stories can oversimplify complex events, leading to distorted public perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked Claire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-claire-3190581/) [Bitterness Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness-historians-3190577/) [Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze/) [Historial-fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historial-fiction-82952/) [Historians Roger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians-roger-3190579/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Leaves Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaves-historians-3190580/) [Liars Roger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liars-roger-3190578/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [That's it? That's your big goodbye?" Eve asked. Claire looked at Eve mystified. "I think I need guy CliffNotes." 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Their greatest crime is that they presume to know what happened, how things come about, when they only have what the past chose to leave them behind--for the most part, they think what they were meant to think, and it's a rare one that sees what really happened, behind the smokescreen of artifacts and paper.\" There was a faint rumble in the distance. The evening passenger train from London, Roger knew. You could hear the whistle from the manse on clear nights. \"No, the fault lies with the artists,\" Claire went on. The writers, the singers, the tellers of tales. It's them that take the past and re-create it to their liking. Them that could take a fool and give you back a hero, take a sot and make him a king.\" \"Are they all liars, then?\" Roger asked. Claire shrugged. In spite of the chilly air, she had taken off the jacket to her suit; the damp molded the cotton shirt to show the fineness of collarbone and shoulder blades. \"Liars?\" she asked. \"Or sorcerers? 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