--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only history that matters is the…" description: "\"The only history that matters is the history we know.\" — Ezra Pound" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/ezra-pound-1208_history_the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-his_1897311.png" --- # The only history that matters is the history we know. ![“The only history that matters is the history we know.” quote by Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/ezra-pound-1208_history_the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-his_1897311.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/ezra-pound-1208_history_the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-his_1897311.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/ezra-pound-1208_history_the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-his_1897311.png) > “The only history that matters is the history we know.” [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History is shaped by what we remember and record; unknown events fade into irrelevance. **In simple terms:** We only know history we learn about. Key Takeaway Preserve diverse narratives. Themes memory history knowledge Mood reflective critical Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - education - museum curation - family storytelling Key Concepts archival studies cultural memory historical bias Questions to Reflect On - Whose histories are missing from mainstream narratives? - How can we recover forgotten stories? A Different Perspective The statement can marginalize marginalized histories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ## Related quotes > [Until you know who has lent what to whom, you know nothing whatever of politics, you know nothing whatever of history, you know nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/until-you-know-who-has-lent-what-to-whom-you-know-nothing-whatever-of/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [For it is in the millions of small melodies that the truth of history is always found, for history only matters because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/for-it-is-in-the-millions-of-small-melodies-that-the-truth-of-history/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Our world is not an optimal place, fine tuned by omnipotent forces of selection. It is a quirky mass of imperfections, working well enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/our-world-is-not-an-optimal-place-fine-tuned-by-omnipotent-forces-of/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [It is humiliating to remain with our hands folded while others write history. It matters little who wins. To make a people great it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benito-mussolini/it-is-humiliating-to-remain-with-our-hands-folded-while-others-write-2/) [Benito Mussolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benito-mussolini/) > [History matters. It matters whether we tell the truth about what happened centuries ago, and it matters whether we tell the truth about more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jensen/history-matters-it-matters-whether-we-tell-the-truth-about-what/) [Robert Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jensen/) > [“History matters, not because it repeats itself (which it never does), but because its narration can rid demons that torment the oppressed, shock the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-garfield/history-matters-not-because-it-repeats-itself-which-it-never-does-but/) Seth Garfield > [“The biggest challenge facing the great teachers and communicators of history is not to teach history itself, nor even the lessons of history, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-biggest-challenge-facing-the-great-teachers-and-communicators-of/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [I'm a historian, I think history matters, but we don't have to be slavish in following it and restoring it,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-granatstein/i-m-a-historian-i-think-history-matters-but-we-don-t-have-to-be/) Jack Granatstein > [It is humiliating to remain with our hands folded while others write history. It matters little who wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benito-mussolini/it-is-humiliating-to-remain-with-our-hands-folded-while-others-write/) [Benito Mussolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benito-mussolini/) > [“You told me once that history matters, but it's frozen, set in stone. This is part of our history. I can't change it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack-finding-it/you-told-me-once-that-history-matters-but-it-s-frozen-set-in-stone/) [Cora Carmack Finding It](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack-finding-it/) > [Oh, do not read history, for that I know must be false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-walpole/oh-do-not-read-history-for-that-i-know-must-be-false/) [Robert Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-walpole/) > [If you don't know your history, you can't know your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/if-you-don-t-know-your-history-you-can-t-know-your-future/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [In the 1960s, the civil rights movement was about getting to know your culture, your history. I know all about my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afeni-shakur/in-the-1960s-the-civil-rights-movement-was-about-getting-to-know-your/) [Afeni Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/afeni-shakur/) > [“So why study history? Unlike physics or economics, history is not a means for making accurate predictions. We study history not to know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/so-why-study-history-unlike-physics-or-economics-history-is-not-a/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Take a look at Israel's history and you would know who the terrorist is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/take-a-look-at-israel-s-history-and-you-would-know-who-the-terrorist/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) ## More by Ezra Pound > [“I once saw a small child go to an electric light switch as say, "Mamma, can I open the light?" She was using the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/i-once-saw-a-small-child-go-to-an-electric-light-switch-as-say-mamma/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [“Till now they send him dreams and no more deed; So doth he flame again with might for action, Forgetful of the council of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/till-now-they-send-him-dreams-and-no-more-deed-so-doth-he-flame-again/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [A great age of literature is perhaps always a great age of translations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/a-great-age-of-literature-is-perhaps-always-a-great-age-of/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [It would be about as easy for an American to become a Chinaman or a Hindoo as for him to acquire an Englishness or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/it-would-be-about-as-easy-for-an-american-to-become-a-chinaman-or-a/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Poets who are not interested in music are, or become, bad poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/poets-who-are-not-interested-in-music-are-or-become-bad-poets/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Anyone who is too lazy to master the comparatively small glossary necessary to understand Chaucer deserves to be shut out from the reading of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/anyone-who-is-too-lazy-to-master-the-comparatively-small-glossary/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Mass ought to be in Latin, unless you could do it in Greek or Chinese. In fact, any abracadabra that no bloody member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/mass-ought-to-be-in-latin-unless-you-could-do-it-in-greek-or-chinese/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [where the dead walked and the living were made of cardboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/where-the-dead-walked-and-the-living-were-made-of-cardboard/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Liberty is not a right but a duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/liberty-is-not-a-right-but-a-duty/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [The artist is always beginning. Any work of art which is not a beginning, an invention, a discovery is of little worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-artist-is-always-beginning-any-work-of-art-which-is-not-a/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [“Any general statement is like a cheque drawn on a bank. Its value depends on what is there to meet it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/any-general-statement-is-like-a-cheque-drawn-on-a-bank-its-value/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [The author's conviction on this day of New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-author-s-conviction-on-this-day-of-new-year-is-that-music-begins/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [In case I conk out, this is provisionally what I have to do: I must clarify obscurities; I must make clearer definite ideas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/in-case-i-conk-out-this-is-provisionally-what-i-have-to-do-i-must/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [“Adolf Hitler was a Jeanne d'Arc, a saint. He was a martyr.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/adolf-hitler-was-a-jeanne-d-arc-a-saint-he-was-a-martyr/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [I could I trust starve like a gentleman. It's listed as part of the poetic training, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/i-could-i-trust-starve-like-a-gentleman-it-s-listed-as-part-of-the/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) [Explore all 273 Ezra Pound quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only history that matters is the history we know.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ezra Pound" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-history-we-know/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-history-we-know/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/ezra-pound-1208_history_the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-his_1897311.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/ezra-pound-1208_history_the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-his_1897311.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/ezra-pound-1208_history_the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-his_1897311.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only history that matters is the history we know.” — Ezra Pound", "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": "Ezra Pound", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only history that matters is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-history-we-know/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-only-history-that-matters-is-the-history-we-know/#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 } } ] } ```