--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is not reassuring on the subject…" description: "\"History is not reassuring on the subject of the longevity of seemingly lasting great nations, is it?\" — Dick Cavett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/dick-cavett-3310_great_history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject_3001057.jpg" --- # History is not reassuring on the subject of the longevity… ![“History is not reassuring on the subject of the longevity of seemingly lasting great nations, is it?” quote by Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/dick-cavett-3310_great_history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject_3001057.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/dick-cavett-3310_great_history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject_3001057.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/dick-cavett-3310_great_history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject_3001057.jpg) > “History is not reassuring on the subject of the longevity of seemingly lasting great nations, is it?” [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He questions the durability of great nations, implying that history shows even powerful empires eventually decline. **In simple terms:** Great nations may not last forever. Key Takeaway Study history to understand impermanence. Themes history impermanence politics Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - education - policy making - media analysis - personal worldview Key Concepts civilization cycles legacy Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can we learn from past declines? - How can societies build lasting institutions? A Different Perspective Historical optimism can overlook resilience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-nations/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Longevity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longevity/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Reassuring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reassuring/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes people's behavior is seemingly unexplainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-scott/sometimes-people-s-behavior-is-seemingly-unexplainable/) [Adam Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-scott/) > [Trust-me companies are companies whose financial results gallop ahead of their businesses, companies with seemingly perfect control over their quarterly sales and profits. Companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/trust-me-companies-are-companies-whose-financial-results-gallop-ahead/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [If one person in a group of ten is missing the tip of his little finger, I will notice it almost immediately. This extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/if-one-person-in-a-group-of-ten-is-missing-the-tip-of-his-little/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [If a leader comes to office in a seemingly fair election and tolerates dissent, he or she qualifies for our seal of approval.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/if-a-leader-comes-to-office-in-a-seemingly-fair-election-and/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Being a 911 operator means balancing seemingly contradictory skills. On one hand, operators have to be fanatically precise and well-organized. On the other, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wolf/being-a-911-operator-means-balancing-seemingly-contradictory-skills/) [Gary Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wolf/) > [The reality, I believe, is that all change starts small. The big picture is just too unwieldy, too incomprehensible and seemingly immovable. But give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-ebeling/the-reality-i-believe-is-that-all-change-starts-small-the-big-picture/) [Mick Ebeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-ebeling/) > [Every person my size has a different life, a different history. Different ways of dealing with it. Just because I'm seemingly O.K. with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/every-person-my-size-has-a-different-life-a-different-history/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [You see, every day, that the people who are seemingly so confident and seemingly so in love with themselves are the ones who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoey-deutch/you-see-every-day-that-the-people-who-are-seemingly-so-confident-and/) [Zoey Deutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoey-deutch/) > [The seemingly omnipresent storm clouds hanging over the Constitution often make it hard to find a silver lining. Every day, the front page of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/the-seemingly-omnipresent-storm-clouds-hanging-over-the-constitution/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [I feel genius in great works of art. I have seen medical cures that science can't explain, some seemingly triggered by faith. The same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/i-feel-genius-in-great-works-of-art-i-have-seen-medical-cures-that/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [My time as editor has been overlapped by a crisis - a prolonged, labyrinthine, tragic, seemingly non-ending crisis - that involves the prehistory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/my-time-as-editor-has-been-overlapped-by-a-crisis-a-prolonged/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [I was the first in my peer group to get pregnant. All I craved was reassurance. I needed someone to tell me that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-murkoff/i-was-the-first-in-my-peer-group-to-get-pregnant-all-i-craved-was/) [Heidi Murkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-murkoff/) > [Until the Nineteen-Eighties, when Deng Xiaoping designated the area as China's first special economic zone, Shenzhen had been a tiny fishing village. Suddenly, eleven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/until-the-nineteen-eighties-when-deng-xiaoping-designated-the-area-as/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [The phenomenon of creativity, we know, is closely related to the ability to yoke together separate, and even seemingly incompatible, matrices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-phenomenon-of-creativity-we-know-is-closely-related-to-the/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Leaders cannot work in a vacuum. They may take on larger, seemingly more important roles in an organization, but this does not exclude them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/leaders-cannot-work-in-a-vacuum-they-may-take-on-larger-seemingly/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) ## More by Dick Cavett > [A conversation does not have to be scintillating in order to be memorable. I once met a president of the United States, and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/a-conversation-does-not-have-to-be-scintillating-in-order-to-be/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [I don't see the future as bright, language-wise. I see it as a glass half empty - and evaporating quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-don-t-see-the-future-as-bright-language-wise-i-see-it-as-a-glass/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [I'm not all that enthralled by show business, and I'm not that much of a highbrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-m-not-all-that-enthralled-by-show-business-and-i-m-not-that-much-of/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [I know what it feels like to be a gun lover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-know-what-it-feels-like-to-be-a-gun-lover/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [Meryl Streep belongs on anybody's list of greats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/meryl-streep-belongs-on-anybody-s-list-of-greats/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [Radio, which was a much better medium than television will ever be, was easy and pleasant to listen to. Your mind filled automatically with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/radio-which-was-a-much-better-medium-than-television-will-ever-be-was/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [I guess the best advice I ever got or anyone could get for doing a talk show, though it has not been easy very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-guess-the-best-advice-i-ever-got-or-anyone-could-get-for-doing-a/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [William F. Buckley was a man who had a great capacity for fun and for amusing himself by amazing others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/william-f-buckley-was-a-man-who-had-a-great-capacity-for-fun-and-for/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [Just think of all the billions of coincidences that don't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/just-think-of-all-the-billions-of-coincidences-that-don-t-happen/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [I eat at this German-Chinese restaurant and the food is delicious. The only problem is that an hour later you're hungry for power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-eat-at-this-german-chinese-restaurant-and-the-food-is-delicious-the/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [I have a long list of things that make me mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-have-a-long-list-of-things-that-make-me-mad/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [“The idea that hunting is one against one is ludicrous. It's one animal versus the hunter, the manufacturer of the rifle, the bullet maker,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/the-idea-that-hunting-is-one-against-one-is-ludicrous-it-s-one-animal/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [Chris Matthews can't start any sentence without 'Let me ask you this... ' And I love Chris Matthews! But almost everybody in journalism does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/chris-matthews-can-t-start-any-sentence-without-let-me-ask-you-this/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [You would have to be naive to think you can appear on television and not have the material edited in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/you-would-have-to-be-naive-to-think-you-can-appear-on-television-and/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [I'm not sure why writing for others became harder. Probably a reluctance to give away anything you might conceivably use yourself caused a block.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-m-not-sure-why-writing-for-others-became-harder-probably-a/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) [Explore all 134 Dick Cavett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) ## More Great quotes > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [I'm very proud of some of the stories I've been given thanks to the team at 'Emmerdale,' they've been great over the years so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-fletcher/i-m-very-proud-of-some-of-the-stories-i-ve-been-given-thanks-to-the/) [Kelvin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-fletcher/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [No matter how many great things you say about Jacques Pepin, there's always more. Through his books and videos, he taught me the importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/no-matter-how-many-great-things-you-say-about-jacques-pepin-there-s/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I always bump into people that Ive met. Not great friends, but if I bump into somebody Ive known and I wont recognise them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-franchitti/i-always-bump-into-people-that-ive-met-not-great-friends-but-if-i/) [Dario Franchitti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-franchitti/) > [Performance matters because games are built on great performance, but form factor and energy efficiency matter incredibly because they want to build something that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/performance-matters-because-games-are-built-on-great-performance-but/) [Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/) > [I'm a lot of things, but none of them are great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-nelson/i-m-a-lot-of-things-but-none-of-them-are-great/) [Don Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-nelson/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) Browse all 24,273 Great quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History is not reassuring on the subject of the longevity of seemingly lasting great nations, is it?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dick Cavett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject-of-the-longevity-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Great" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject-of-the-longevity-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/dick-cavett-3310_great_history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject_3001057.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/dick-cavett-3310_great_history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject_3001057.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/dick-cavett-3310_great_history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject_3001057.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History is not reassuring on the subject of the longevity of seemingly lasting great nations, is it?” — Dick Cavett", "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": "Dick Cavett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "History is not reassuring on the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject-of-the-longevity-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/history-is-not-reassuring-on-the-subject-of-the-longevity-of/#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 } } ] } ```