--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is a jangle of accidents…" description: "\"History is a jangle of accidents, blunders, surprises and absurdities, and so is our knowledge of it, but if we are to report it at all we must impose ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/henry-steele-commager-16894_absurdity_history-is-a-jangle-of-accidents-blunder_1140295.jpg" --- # History is a jangle of accidents, blunders, surprises and… ![“History is a jangle of accidents, blunders, surprises and absurdities, and so is our knowledge of it, but if we are to report it at all we must impose some order upon it.” quote by Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/henry-steele-commager-16894_absurdity_history-is-a-jangle-of-accidents-blunder_1140295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/henry-steele-commager-16894_absurdity_history-is-a-jangle-of-accidents-blunder_1140295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/henry-steele-commager-16894_absurdity_history-is-a-jangle-of-accidents-blunder_1140295.jpg) > “History is a jangle of accidents, blunders, surprises and absurdities, and so is our knowledge of it, but if we are to report it at all we must impose some order upon it.” [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) ## 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 chaotic, but we must organize it to understand and convey it effectively. **In simple terms:** History is messy; we need order. Key Takeaway Structure narratives to make sense of events. Themes history order interpretation Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - teaching - museum curation - academic research - media reporting Key Concepts epistemology narrative theory methodology Questions to Reflect On - What criteria should guide historical organization? - How do we balance order with nuance? A Different Perspective Imposing order can oversimplify complexity and bias perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurdity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurdity/) [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Accidents Blunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents-blunders-3175469/) [Blunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blunders/) [Blunders Surprises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blunders-surprises-3175471/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Jangle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-jangle-3175470/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Reports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reports/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) ## Related quotes > [Great blunders are often made, like large ropes, of a multitude of fibres.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/great-blunders-are-often-made-like-large-ropes-of-a-multitude-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Weaknesses in men of genius are usually an exaggeration of their personal feeling; in the hands of feeble imitators they become the most flagrant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/weaknesses-in-men-of-genius-are-usually-an-exaggeration-of-their/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [There is no doubt that the reason for my awful oversight was over-confidence that sapped my sense of danger. So that is where to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kotov/there-is-no-doubt-that-the-reason-for-my-awful-oversight-was-over/) [Alexander Kotov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kotov/) > [The pain others give passes away in their later kindness, but that of our own blunders, especially when they hurt our vanity, never passes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/the-pain-others-give-passes-away-in-their-later-kindness-but-that-of/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Brooding over blunders is the biggest blunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/brooding-over-blunders-is-the-biggest-blunder/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [I take editing seriously. It's a joy to edit. I always hand a manuscript to several editors and can't wait to get back their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-take-editing-seriously-it-s-a-joy-to-edit-i-always-hand-a/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [George theThird Ought never to have occurred. One can only wonder At so grotesque a blunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-c-bentley/george-thethird-ought-never-to-have-occurred-one-can-only-wonder-at/) [E. C. Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-c-bentley/) > [Nature proceeds by blunders; that is its way. It is also ours. So if we have blundered by regarding consciousness as a blunder, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/nature-proceeds-by-blunders-that-is-its-way-it-is-also-ours-so-if-we/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [ Your printers have made but one blunder,Correct it instanter, and then for the thunder!We'll see in a jiffy if this Mr S\[pencer\]Has the ghost… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-printers-have-made-but-one-blunder-correct-it-instanter-and-then/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If only,’ Shiroyama dreams, ‘human beings were not masks behind masks behind masks. If only this world was a clean board of lines and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/if-only-shiroyama-dreams-human-beings-were-not-masks-behind-masks/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [Books are masters who instruct us without rods or ferules, without words or anger, without bread or money. If you approach them, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-de-bury/books-are-masters-who-instruct-us-without-rods-or-ferules-without/) [Richard de Bury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-de-bury/) > [It is easy enough to say that poverty is no crime. No; if it were men wouldn't be ashamed of it. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/it-is-easy-enough-to-say-that-poverty-is-no-crime-no-if-it-were-men/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [“Rob Green needed to get the long barrier out, didn't he?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anderson/rob-green-needed-to-get-the-long-barrier-out-didn-t-he/) [James Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anderson/) > [We must not judge God from this world. It's just a study that didn't come off. It's only a master who could make such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/we-must-not-judge-god-from-this-world-it-s-just-a-study-that-didn-t/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [In Hitler's launching of the Nazi campaign on Russia, we can already see, after six months of fighting, that he has made one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/in-hitler-s-launching-of-the-nazi-campaign-on-russia-we-can-already/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) ## More by Henry Steele Commager > [It's awfully hard to be the son of a great man and also of a half-crazy woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/it-s-awfully-hard-to-be-the-son-of-a-great-man-and-also-of-a-half/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [America was born of revolt, flourished in dissent, became great through experimentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/america-was-born-of-revolt-flourished-in-dissent-became-great-through/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [The American people...have a stake in non-conformity. For they know that the American genius is non-conformist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/the-american-people-have-a-stake-in-non-conformity-for-they-know-that/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [We should not be surprised that the Founding Fathers didn't foresee everything, when we see that the current Fathers hardly ever foresee anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/we-should-not-be-surprised-that-the-founding-fathers-didn-t-foresee/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [We should not forget that our tradition is one of protest and revolt, and it is stultifying to celebrate the rebels of the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/we-should-not-forget-that-our-tradition-is-one-of-protest-and-revolt/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [The justification and the purpose of freedom of speech is not to indulge those who want to speak their minds. It is to prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/the-justification-and-the-purpose-of-freedom-of-speech-is-not-to/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [“A free society cherishes nonconformity. It knows that from the non-conformist, from the eccentric, have come many of the great ideas of freedom. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/a-free-society-cherishes-nonconformity-it-knows-that-from-the-non/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/the-fact-is-that-censorship-always-defeats-its-own-purpose-for-it/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [A free society cherishes nonconformity. It knows from the non-conformist, from the eccentric, have come many of the great ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/a-free-society-cherishes-nonconformity-it-knows-from-the-non/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [History is organized memory, and the organization is all important!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/history-is-organized-memory-and-the-organization-is-all-important/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [It seems fair to say that while the moral standards of the nineteenth century persisted almost unchanged into the twentieth, moral practices changed sharply,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/it-seems-fair-to-say-that-while-the-moral-standards-of-the-nineteenth/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [ In the long run \[censorship\] will create a generation incapable of appreciating the difference between independence of thought and subservience. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/in-the-long-run-censorship-will-create-a-generation-incapable-of/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [History, we can confidently assert, is useful in the sense that art and music, poetry and flowers, religion and philosophy are useful. Without it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/history-we-can-confidently-assert-is-useful-in-the-sense-that-art-and/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [Whether history will judge this war to be different or not we cannot say. But this we can say with certainty: A government and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/whether-history-will-judge-this-war-to-be-different-or-not-we-cannot/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [We cannot have a society half slave and half free; nor can we have thought half slave and half free. If we create an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/we-cannot-have-a-society-half-slave-and-half-free-nor-can-we-have/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) [Explore all 38 Henry Steele Commager quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) ## More Absurdity quotes > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [One would think that a system loaded with such gross and vulgar absurdities as Scripture religion is could never have obtained credit; yet we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/one-would-think-that-a-system-loaded-with-such-gross-and-vulgar/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/such-squeamish-youths-as-cannot-bear-to-be-connected-with-a-little/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Thought of the incomprehensible sequence of changes and chances that make up a life, all the beauties and horrors and absurdities whose conjunctions create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/thought-of-the-incomprehensible-sequence-of-changes-and-chances-that/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [We all live inside the terrible engine of authority, and it grinds and shrieks and burns so that no one will say: lines on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/we-all-live-inside-the-terrible-engine-of-authority-and-it-grinds-and/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Desire is this absurdity that holds open the infinity of possibility. Ever optimistic, ever resourceful, desire tells us what it sees as it speeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-farley/desire-is-this-absurdity-that-holds-open-the-infinity-of-possibility/) [Wendy Farley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-farley/) > [I've always felt that comedy doesn't just come from misery. It comes from an absurdity around that misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-amstell/i-ve-always-felt-that-comedy-doesn-t-just-come-from-misery-it-comes/) [Simon Amstell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-amstell/) > [Unaware of the absurdity of it, we introduce our own petty household rules into the economy of the universe for which the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/unaware-of-the-absurdity-of-it-we-introduce-our-own-petty-household/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [“Christianity would be helpless without the idea of free will and the idea of free will would be helpless without incongruity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/christianity-would-be-helpless-without-the-idea-of-free-will-and-the/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [Sensible Catholics have for generations been ignoring the views on contraception held by reactionary old men in the Vatican, but alas, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/sensible-catholics-have-for-generations-been-ignoring-the-views-on/) [A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/) > [The tales of our exploits will survive as long as the human voice itself,' he said. 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