--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I meet a historian who cannot think…" description: "\"When I meet a historian who cannot think that there have been great men, great men moreover in politics, I feel myself in the presence of a bad histori..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bc/geoffrey-elton-58529_careers_when-i-meet-a-historian-who-cannot-think_3105793.jpg" --- # When I meet a historian who cannot think that there have… ![“When I meet a historian who cannot think that there have been great men, great men moreover in politics, I feel myself in the presence of a bad historian, and there are times when I incline to judge all historians by their opinion of Winston Churchill -- whether they can see that, no matter how…” quote by Geoffrey Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bc/geoffrey-elton-58529_careers_when-i-meet-a-historian-who-cannot-think_3105793.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bc/geoffrey-elton-58529_careers_when-i-meet-a-historian-who-cannot-think_3105793.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bc/geoffrey-elton-58529_careers_when-i-meet-a-historian-who-cannot-think_3105793.jpg) > “When I meet a historian who cannot think that there have been great men, great men moreover in politics, I feel myself in the presence of a bad historian, and there are times when I incline to judge all historians by their opinion of Winston Churchill -- whether they can see that, no matter how much better the details, often damaging, of man and career become known, he still remains quite simply, a great man.” [Geoffrey Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-elton/) ## 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 criticizes historians who deny the existence of great political figures, using Winston Churchill as an example of a universally acknowledged great man despite flaws. **In simple terms:** Some historians deny great political figures; Churchill remains great Key Takeaway Acknowledge greatness despite flaws Themes history great men political leadership Mood analytical thoughtful Type scholarly inspirational When to use this quote - teaching history - public discourse - biographical writing Key Concepts historical analysis leadership studies Questions to Reflect On - What criteria define a “great” leader? - How should historians balance achievements with personal flaws? A Different Perspective Greatness is subjective and can be contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/churchill/) [Details](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian/) [Historian Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian-think-3689803/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [Historians Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians-opinion-5403058/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Incline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incline/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Remains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remains/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [As a historian, I always think you know what a moment was 20 years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/as-a-historian-i-always-think-you-know-what-a-moment-was-20-years/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-granatstein/) > [I love those historians that are either very simple or most excellent. 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The point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/he-is-the-resounding-human-rebuttal-to-all-marxist-historians-who/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [As historians, our training and discipline is based on documentary evidence,.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dixon/as-historians-our-training-and-discipline-is-based-on-documentary/) [David Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dixon/) > [Geologists complain that when they want specimens of the common rocks of a country, they receive curious spars; just so, historians give us the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/geologists-complain-that-when-they-want-specimens-of-the-common-rocks/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [If you will protest courageously, and yet with dignity and Christian love, when the history books are written in future generations, the historians will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-will-protest-courageously-and-yet-with-dignity-and-christian/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The poets have familiarized more people with history than have the historians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/the-poets-have-familiarized-more-people-with-history-than-have-the/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [ I have learned more \[from Balzac\] than from all the professional historians, economists, and statisticians put together. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-engels/i-have-learned-more-from-balzac-than-from-all-the-professional/) [Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-engels/) > [Well goodness knows, goodness knows what historians will write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-downer/well-goodness-knows-goodness-knows-what-historians-will-write/) [Alexander Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-downer/) > [Since history has no properly scientific value, its only purpose is educative. And if historians neglect to educate the public, if they fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-trevelyan/since-history-has-no-properly-scientific-value-its-only-purpose-is/) [G. M. Trevelyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-trevelyan/) > [In history as it comes to be written, there is usually some Spirit of the Age which historians can define, but the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/in-history-as-it-comes-to-be-written-there-is-usually-some-spirit-of/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [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/) ## More by Geoffrey Elton > [The future is dark, the present burdensome. 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