Faith Quote by Doris Lessing
““Anyone who reads history at all knows that the passionate and powerful convictions of one century usually seem absurd, extraordinary, to the next. There is no epoch in history that seems to us as it must have to the people who lived through it. What we live through, in any age, is the effect on us of mass emotions and of social conditions from which it is almost impossible to detach ourselves. Often the mass emotions are those which seem the noblest, best and most beautiful. And yet, inside a year, five years, a decade, five decades, people will be asking, “How could they have believed that?” because events will have taken place that will have banished the said mass emotions to the dustbin of history. To””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessing, 1962
Historical perspectives shift as societies evolve, making once‑widely held beliefs appear absurd to later generations.
In simple terms: Ideas once common can seem strange later.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions and seek context.
Themes
history
perspective
change
culture
emotion
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
reflective
When to use this quote
- education
- political analysis
- personal reflection
- media criticism
Key Concepts
relativism
social construction
collective memory
Questions to Reflect On
- How do current beliefs seem to future generations?
- What role do emotions play in shaping history?
A Different Perspective
Mass emotions can be manipulated, leading to misguided actions.
