--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's already a lot of self-exculpatory…" description: "\"There's already a lot of self-exculpatory history being written. Right across the board. And it's my task to make sure that such self-exculpatory histo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/eric-reeves-52785_boards_there-s-already-a-lot-of-self-exculpator_2572466.jpg" --- # There's already a lot of self-exculpatory history being… ![“There's already a lot of self-exculpatory history being written. Right across the board. And it's my task to make sure that such self-exculpatory histories cannot be written.” quote by Eric Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/eric-reeves-52785_boards_there-s-already-a-lot-of-self-exculpator_2572466.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/eric-reeves-52785_boards_there-s-already-a-lot-of-self-exculpator_2572466.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/eric-reeves-52785_boards_there-s-already-a-lot-of-self-exculpator_2572466.jpg) > “There's already a lot of self-exculpatory history being written. Right across the board. And it's my task to make sure that such self-exculpatory histories cannot be written.” [Eric Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-reeves/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker warns that many narratives excuse personal responsibility, and he aims to prevent such self‑justifying histories from being recorded. **In simple terms:** People often blame circumstances; he wants to stop that. Key Takeaway Challenge narratives that excuse blame. Themes responsibility history truth accountability Mood critical serious Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - political discourse - media analysis - education - personal reflection Key Concepts self‑exculpation narrative control historical revisionism Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance personal accountability with systemic influences? - What mechanisms can prevent self‑exculpatory narratives? A Different Perspective Such histories may ignore systemic factors and oversimplify complex events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boards/) [Exculpatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exculpatory-1704612/) [Exculpatory Histories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exculpatory-histories-1704608/) [Exculpatory History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exculpatory-history-1704610/) [Histories Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/histories-written-1704611/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Exculpatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-exculpatory-1704609/) [Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasks/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) ## Related quotes > ['Exculpatory' is in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-breitbart/exculpatory-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/) [Andrew Breitbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-breitbart/) > [Do you really believe ... that everything historians tell us about men – or about women – is actually true? You ought to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/do-you-really-believe-that-everything-historians-tell-us-about-men-or/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) > [The only good histories are those written by those who had command in the events they describe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-only-good-histories-are-those-written-by-those-who-had-command-in/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [As a historian I understand how histories are written. My enemies will write histories that dismiss me and prove I was unimportant. My friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/as-a-historian-i-understand-how-histories-are-written-my-enemies-will/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [“What are we if we are not products of our history? History is not in our past but forms us in the present. 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I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-am-formally-accountable-to-the-steering-board-of-the-pic-and-i-meet/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [Some guys need to see things on a grease board, ... I like when you can see it in your mind. And that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-manning/some-guys-need-to-see-things-on-a-grease-board-i-like-when-you-can/) [Peyton Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-manning/) > [Cows are a lot smarter across the board than bulls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/cows-are-a-lot-smarter-across-the-board-than-bulls/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) ## More by Eric Reeves > [Sudan, I've come to discover, is a country which, once it gets hold of you, does not let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-reeves/sudan-i-ve-come-to-discover-is-a-country-which-once-it-gets-hold-of/) [Eric Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-reeves/) > [I have leukemia, and my chemotherapy has destroyed my immune system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-reeves/i-have-leukemia-and-my-chemotherapy-has-destroyed-my-immune-system/) [Eric Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-reeves/) > [I don't think I have the stamina anymore and I certainly don't have the health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-reeves/i-don-t-think-i-have-the-stamina-anymore-and-i-certainly-don-t-have/) [Eric Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-reeves/) > [There's just no more compelling a story, no more compelling an issue, no more compelling a locus of human suffering than Sudan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-reeves/there-s-just-no-more-compelling-a-story-no-more-compelling-an-issue/) [Eric Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-reeves/) > [I never wake up wondering whether the day is going to be a meaningful one or whether my labors are gonna be worthwhile. 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