--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Essentially any history we have is just a…" description: "\"Essentially any history we have is just a history of aristocrats. We don't have any history of people.\" — Frank Fairfield" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/frank-fairfield-23392_history_essentially-any-history-we-have-is-just_425410.jpg" --- # Essentially any history we have is just a history of… ![“Essentially any history we have is just a history of aristocrats. We don't have any history of people.” quote by Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/frank-fairfield-23392_history_essentially-any-history-we-have-is-just_425410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/frank-fairfield-23392_history_essentially-any-history-we-have-is-just_425410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/frank-fairfield-23392_history_essentially-any-history-we-have-is-just_425410.jpg) > “Essentially any history we have is just a history of aristocrats. We don't have any history of people.” [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History often highlights elites, neglecting the experiences of ordinary people. **In simple terms:** History overlooks common people's stories. Key Takeaway Seek inclusive narratives. Themes history social justice representation Mood critical thought‑provoking Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - education curricula - museum exhibits - documentary filmmaking - community oral histories Key Concepts class people's history Questions to Reflect On - Whose stories are missing from mainstream history? - How can we amplify marginalized voices? A Different Perspective Dominant narratives resist change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I was always pretty interested in my history. Not just the history of the Caribbean, the history of my people, but all walks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-richards/i-was-always-pretty-interested-in-my-history-not-just-the-history-of/) [Viv Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-richards/) > [“It fascinates Manar—not just history”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hala-alyan/it-fascinates-manar-not-just-history/) [Hala Alyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hala-alyan/) > [I am just a history nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yara-shahidi/i-am-just-a-history-nerd/) [Yara Shahidi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yara-shahidi/) > [Won't it be wonderful when black history and native American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from one book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/won-t-it-be-wonderful-when-black-history-and-native-american-history/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Sometimes history is just an excuse for incompetence at getting along with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-voinov/sometimes-history-is-just-an-excuse-for-incompetence-at-getting-along/) [Aleksandr Voinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-voinov/) > [The history of the Indians begins with the arrival of the Europeans. The history of the People begins with the beginning of the history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-trudell/the-history-of-the-indians-begins-with-the-arrival-of-the-europeans/) [John Trudell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-trudell/) > [Facts are the images of history, just as images are the facts of fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/facts-are-the-images-of-history-just-as-images-are-the-facts-of/) [E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/) > [I hope we go down in history for being something more than just another famous act that got ripped off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lopes/i-hope-we-go-down-in-history-for-being-something-more-than-just/) [Lisa Lopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lopes/) > [History is not just about the past. It also reveals the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-von-drehle/history-is-not-just-about-the-past-it-also-reveals-the-present/) David Von Drehle > [I think history is just so cyclical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-think-history-is-just-so-cyclical/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [How real is history? Is it just an enormous soup so full of disparate ingredients that it is uncharacterizable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cahill/how-real-is-history-is-it-just-an-enormous-soup-so-full-of-disparate/) [Thomas Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cahill/) > [“How do I define history? It's just one fucking thing after another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/how-do-i-define-history-it-s-just-one-fucking-thing-after-another/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [Don't be encumbered by history, just go out and do something wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/don-t-be-encumbered-by-history-just-go-out-and-do-something-wonderful/) [Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/) > [You absorb 2,000 years of history just by being near the Thames.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/you-absorb-2-000-years-of-history-just-by-being-near-the-thames/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [“Some historians hold that history is just one damned thing after another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-toynbee/some-historians-hold-that-history-is-just-one-damned-thing-after/) [Arnold Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-toynbee/) ## More by Frank Fairfield > [I'm just a guy that sings songs because that's what he likes to do, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/i-m-just-a-guy-that-sings-songs-because-that-s-what-he-likes-to-do-i/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [I really enjoy playing music. I feel like it's something to try to give to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/i-really-enjoy-playing-music-i-feel-like-it-s-something-to-try-to/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [I feel like there's the people's music, and there's corporate music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/i-feel-like-there-s-the-people-s-music-and-there-s-corporate-music/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [I just started playing music on the street and walking around with a fiddle, and I think that's kind of when I started being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/i-just-started-playing-music-on-the-street-and-walking-around-with-a/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [There's this food that's evolved over thousands of years and people have made their own kind of thing, but it's not art-food, yet. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/there-s-this-food-that-s-evolved-over-thousands-of-years-and-people/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [You have a history of art-music that you equate with music. That's what I love about that term art-music. It separates itself from music-music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/you-have-a-history-of-art-music-that-you-equate-with-music-that-s/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [No race or civilization of people are just going to say, "Oh, instead of using real meat, let's just mash up a bunch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/no-race-or-civilization-of-people-are-just-going-to-say-oh-instead-of/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [I didn't have any intention of playing music for a living or anything like that. I was just not doing well in my head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/i-didn-t-have-any-intention-of-playing-music-for-a-living-or-anything/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [The history of music is nothing more than the history of art-music or classical music, the music that was commissioned by aristocrats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/the-history-of-music-is-nothing-more-than-the-history-of-art-music-or/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [I've been playing one way or another since I was about three years old. I don't remember not knowing how to play any instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/i-ve-been-playing-one-way-or-another-since-i-was-about-three-years/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [I don't think music is an art any more than cooking food is an art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/i-don-t-think-music-is-an-art-any-more-than-cooking-food-is-an-art/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [Real music is what I consider to be uncorporatized music, the music that just happens. I feel like that's not a very well-known thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/real-music-is-what-i-consider-to-be-uncorporatized-music-the-music/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [For a while, it was something to try to push at people, playing old murder ballads and being upset about everything I was seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/for-a-while-it-was-something-to-try-to-push-at-people-playing-old/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [Some people are good cooks and some people are good... I don't see why you have to do all of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/some-people-are-good-cooks-and-some-people-are-good-i-don-t-see-why/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [I was born or raised in the church, so I guess the first songs I would have played would have been church songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/i-was-born-or-raised-in-the-church-so-i-guess-the-first-songs-i-would/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) [Explore all 26 Frank Fairfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) ## 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": "Essentially any history we have is just a history of aristocrats. 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