--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is one of the only fields where…" description: "\"History is one of the only fields where contributions by amateurs are taken seriously, providing you follow the rules and document your sources. In his..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea6/george-dyson-25639_amateur_history-is-one-of-the-only-fields-where_1335492.jpg" --- # History is one of the only fields where contributions by… ![“History is one of the only fields where contributions by amateurs are taken seriously, providing you follow the rules and document your sources. In history, it's what you write, not what your credentials are.” quote by George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea6/george-dyson-25639_amateur_history-is-one-of-the-only-fields-where_1335492.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea6/george-dyson-25639_amateur_history-is-one-of-the-only-fields-where_1335492.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea6/george-dyson-25639_amateur_history-is-one-of-the-only-fields-where_1335492.jpg) > “History is one of the only fields where contributions by amateurs are taken seriously, providing you follow the rules and document your sources. In history, it's what you write, not what your credentials are.” [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Amateur contributions matter when they follow rigorous standards and documentation. **In simple terms:** Amateurs can contribute if they document well. Key Takeaway Document and verify your work. Themes history citizen science credibility Mood analytical encouraging Type educational practical When to use this quote - research projects - genealogy - archival work Key Concepts methodology source verification Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure credibility? - What standards guide your documentation? A Different Perspective Professional bias may persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) [Contributions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contributions/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) ## Related quotes > [I'm reverent toward my sources. History is a team sport, and references are how you support your teammates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/i-m-reverent-toward-my-sources-history-is-a-team-sport-and-references/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [“Don't let history write itself for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-stobbe/don-t-let-history-write-itself-for-you/) Christine Stobbe > [History should not be left to the historians. Rather, be like Churchill. Make history, and then write it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-marcos/history-should-not-be-left-to-the-historians-rather-be-like-churchill/) [Ferdinand Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-marcos/) > [History is simply a piece of paper covered with print: the main thing is to make history, not to write it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/history-is-simply-a-piece-of-paper-covered-with-print-the-main-thing/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [“Why would you keep quiet and allow history to write itself when there is something you can do to rewrite history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/why-would-you-keep-quiet-and-allow-history-to-write-itself-when-there/) Anyaele Sam Chiyson > [“Hindsight’s a wonderful thing,” Klara said. “If we all had it there would be no history to write about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/hindsight-s-a-wonderful-thing-klara-said-if-we-all-had-it-there-would/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [Hindsight's a wonderful thing. If we all had it there would be no history to write about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/hindsight-s-a-wonderful-thing-if-we-all-had-it-there-would-be-no/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [The main thing is to make history, not to write it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/the-main-thing-is-to-make-history-not-to-write-it/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [The people around you are you. They share your history. They can even write it with you. And when you lose one, there's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-wallace/the-people-around-you-are-you-they-share-your-history-they-can-even/) [Danny Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-wallace/) > [“History is what we write, not what we remember. Why should we tarnish the memory of our planet by enshrining our less then noble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/history-is-what-we-write-not-what-we-remember-why-should-we-tarnish/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“Isn't better to excel in your work than wasting time on fruitless things ... after all to become the history, you have to write it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-zeeshan-ahmed/isn-t-better-to-excel-in-your-work-than-wasting-time-on-fruitless/) [Dr. Zeeshan Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-zeeshan-ahmed/) > [So much history, if you or I were to write it, could seem a fiction. These separations, these lines that tell us this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/so-much-history-if-you-or-i-were-to-write-it-could-seem-a-fiction/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [What makes a good writer of history is a guy who is suspicious. Suspicion marks the real difference between the man who wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a-guy-who-is-suspicious/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [I have little children, 5 1/2 and 1 1/2, and I thought I should document my life, because by the time they're in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-mottola/i-have-little-children-5-1-2-and-1-1-2-and-i-thought-i-should/) [Tommy Mottola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-mottola/) > [Here, I am looking for a document issued by a public attorney. I don't find. He is accused by the political leaders of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-verges/here-i-am-looking-for-a-document-issued-by-a-public-attorney-i-don-t/) [Jacques Verges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-verges/) ## More by George Dyson > [“Are we using digital computers to sequence, store, and better replicate our own genetic code, thereby optimizing human beings, or are digital computers optimizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/are-we-using-digital-computers-to-sequence-store-and-better-replicate/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [It doesn't cost anything to replicate code. So the companies that make code, that's why they've done so well. We take it for granted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/it-doesn-t-cost-anything-to-replicate-code-so-the-companies-that-make/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [I don't know a single person who is not immersed in the digital universe. Even people who are strongly anti-technology are probably voicing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/i-don-t-know-a-single-person-who-is-not-immersed-in-the-digital/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [If you spend time alone in the wilderness, you get very attuned to living things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/if-you-spend-time-alone-in-the-wilderness-you-get-very-attuned-to/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [“There is reason to suspect that our predilection for linear codes, which have a simple, almost temporal sequence, is chiefly a literary habit, corresponding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/there-is-reason-to-suspect-that-our-predilection-for-linear-codes/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [We could construct a machine that is more intelligent than we can understand. It's possible Google is that kind of thing already. It scales…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/we-could-construct-a-machine-that-is-more-intelligent-than-we-can/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [When you click on a link, you are replicating the string of code that it links to. Replication of code sequences isn't life, any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/when-you-click-on-a-link-you-are-replicating-the-string-of-code-that/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [“There are two kinds of creation myths: those where life arises out of the mud, and those where life falls from the sky. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/there-are-two-kinds-of-creation-myths-those-where-life-arises-out-of/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [Digital organisms, while not necessarily any more alive than a phone book, are strings of code that replicate and evolve over time. Digital codes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/digital-organisms-while-not-necessarily-any-more-alive-than-a-phone/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [I have had a Twitter account since the very beginning but have never used it: I haven't tweeted anything, and I haven't followed anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/i-have-had-a-twitter-account-since-the-very-beginning-but-have-never/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [The unlimited replication of information is generally a public good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/the-unlimited-replication-of-information-is-generally-a-public-good/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [“The obsidian flake and the silicon chip are struck by the light of the same campfire that has passed from hand to hand since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/the-obsidian-flake-and-the-silicon-chip-are-struck-by-the-light-of/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [“Web 2.0 is our code word for the analog increasingly supervening upon the digital—reversing how digital logic was embedded in analog components, sixty years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/web-2-0-is-our-code-word-for-the-analog-increasingly-supervening-upon/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [I read the Drudge Report! And wander around Facebook sometimes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/i-read-the-drudge-report-and-wander-around-facebook-sometimes/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [“VON NEUMANN MADE a deal with “the other party” in 1946. The scientists would get the computers, and the military would get the bombs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/von-neumann-made-a-deal-with-the-other-party-in-1946-the-scientists/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) [Explore all 22 George Dyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) ## More Amateur quotes > [“The amateur doesn't appreciate the need for experimentation. He wants his experts to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner-2/the-amateur-doesn-t-appreciate-the-need-for-experimentation-he-wants/) [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I did a musical when I was 17, an amateur show, and I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taron-egerton/i-did-a-musical-when-i-was-17-an-amateur-show-and-i-loved-it/) [Taron Egerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taron-egerton/) > [Every artist was first an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-artist-was-first-an-amateur/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/) Alan Sheinwald > [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/) [Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/) > [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/you-count-a-man-s-u-s-amateur-titles-after-he-starts-winning/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-calzaghe/amateur-boxing-is-one-of-the-safest-sports-around/) [Joe Calzaghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-calzaghe/) > [“Amateur: One reckless enough to risk being interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barringer/amateur-one-reckless-enough-to-risk-being-interesting/) David Barringer > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [When people buy, rescue, or otherwise acquire a dog from unscrupulous breeders or amateur rescue groups, they are making a decision with ethical consequences.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/when-people-buy-rescue-or-otherwise-acquire-a-dog-from-unscrupulous/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) Browse all 352 Amateur quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History is one of the only fields where contributions by amateurs are taken seriously, providing you follow the rules and document your sources. 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