--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of my professional work has been in…" description: "\"Most of my professional work has been in these areas - as a historical critic, as a literary critic. I've done very little in the history of interpreta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/hershel-shanks-25800_areas_most-of-my-professional-work-has-been-in_2052259.jpg" --- # Most of my professional work has been in these areas - as… ![“Most of my professional work has been in these areas - as a historical critic, as a literary critic. I've done very little in the history of interpretation [as Elie Wiesel has]. I've been interested in it, but I have not contributed to that field, really.” quote by Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/hershel-shanks-25800_areas_most-of-my-professional-work-has-been-in_2052259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/hershel-shanks-25800_areas_most-of-my-professional-work-has-been-in_2052259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/hershel-shanks-25800_areas_most-of-my-professional-work-has-been-in_2052259.jpg) > “Most of my professional work has been in these areas - as a historical critic, as a literary critic. I've done very little in the history of interpretation \[as Elie Wiesel has\]. I've been interested in it, but I have not contributed to that field, really.” [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) ## 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 acknowledges limited contribution to interpretive history despite extensive work as a critic. **In simple terms:** He does not work much in interpretation history. Key Takeaway Recognize expertise limits and seek collaboration. Themes humility self-awareness scholarship literature history Mood reflective thoughtful Type scholarly introspective When to use this quote - conference panels - academic publishing - peer mentorship - research projects Key Concepts academic honesty disciplinary boundaries collaborative research Questions to Reflect On - What areas could benefit from his expertise? - How can scholars bridge gaps between disciplines? A Different Perspective Counterpoint: interdisciplinary work can still be valuable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Interpretation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpretation/) [Professional work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-work/) ## Related quotes > [Edmund Wilson was our greatest American literary critic because he was more than a literary critic: He was a fearless, even radical judge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/edmund-wilson-was-our-greatest-american-literary-critic-because-he/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [I thought it was a glorious thing to be a critic and to be a literary editor, and one was really doing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-thought-it-was-a-glorious-thing-to-be-a-critic-and-to-be-a-literary/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [ I know that the Bible has been a central influence in \[Elie Wiesel and Frank Moore Cross\] lives - but in a very different… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/i-know-that-the-bible-has-been-a-central-influence-in-elie-wiesel-and/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, Elie Wiesel is also the author of more than 40 books. As relevant as anything to today's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/awarded-the-nobel-peace-prize-in-1986-elie-wiesel-is-also-the-author/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [ Both of you \[Elie Wiesel and Frank Moore Cross\] are giants, dare I say nephilim \[giants; see Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33\], in your world. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/both-of-you-elie-wiesel-and-frank-moore-cross-are-giants-dare-i-say/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [Elie Wiesel has for years served as the moral compass of the civilized world. For many of us, including me, he has defined the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/elie-wiesel-has-for-years-served-as-the-moral-compass-of-the/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [“History is always the interpretation of the present”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/history-is-always-the-interpretation-of-the-present/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ I have referred to \[Rabbi Shlomo ben Isaac\] on occasion, but I doubt that you will find his name in any of my indices.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/i-have-referred-to-rabbi-shlomo-ben-isaac-on-occasion-but-i-doubt/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [“The history of interpretation, the skills by which we keep alive in our minds the light and dark of past literature and past humanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/the-history-of-interpretation-the-skills-by-which-we-keep-alive-in/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [We current Justices read the Constitution in the only way that we can: as Twentieth Century Americans. We look to the history of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/we-current-justices-read-the-constitution-in-the-only-way-that-we-can-2/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [Do not feel trapped by the facts of your history. Your history is not some set of sacred facts. History is an interpretation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-rubin/do-not-feel-trapped-by-the-facts-of-your-history-your-history-is-not/) [Harriet Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-rubin/) > [We look to the history of the time of framing and to the intervening history of interpretation. But the ultimate question must be, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-look-to-the-history-of-the-time-of-framing-and-to-the-intervening/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [History is the interpretation of the significance that the past has for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-huizinga/history-is-the-interpretation-of-the-significance-that-the-past-has/) [Johan Huizinga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-huizinga/) > [ The history of interpretation \[of the Bible\] is fascinating; but that is something else. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/the-history-of-interpretation-of-the-bible-is-fascinating-but-that-is/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [“Robert Frost didn’t like to explain his poems—and for good reason: to explain a poem is to suck the air from its lungs. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-leuzzi/robert-frost-didn-t-like-to-explain-his-poems-and-for-good-reason-to/) [Tony Leuzzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-leuzzi/) ## More by Hershel Shanks > [ We differ \[with Frank Moore Cross\] simply because of our differing backgrounds. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/we-differ-with-frank-moore-cross-simply-because-of-our-differing/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [The Bible is a book that has shaped my life, my beliefs, my ethics, my moral concerns, my religious outlook. This is not something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/the-bible-is-a-book-that-has-shaped-my-life-my-beliefs-my-ethics-my/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [ I know that the Bible has been a central influence in \[Elie Wiesel and Frank Moore Cross\] lives - but in a very different… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/i-know-that-the-bible-has-been-a-central-influence-in-elie-wiesel-and/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [I think that there are these two very different sides to my relation to the Bible: one, my professional life; the other, a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/i-think-that-there-are-these-two-very-different-sides-to-my-relation/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [ As long as I'm giving a little hype, I can't resist saying that Elie \[Wiesel\] has also written a number of pieces for Bible… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/as-long-as-i-m-giving-a-little-hype-i-can-t-resist-saying-that-elie/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, Elie Wiesel is also the author of more than 40 books. As relevant as anything to today's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/awarded-the-nobel-peace-prize-in-1986-elie-wiesel-is-also-the-author/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [Frank Moore Cross is also a leading Dead Sea Scrolls scholar, which he's been since they were discovered more than 50 years ago. He's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/frank-moore-cross-is-also-a-leading-dead-sea-scrolls-scholar-which-he/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [In my work, I attempt to deal with the Bible as I would deal with any work of literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/in-my-work-i-attempt-to-deal-with-the-bible-as-i-would-deal-with-any/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [I think that there is a certain schizophrenic aspect to my own relation to the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/i-think-that-there-is-a-certain-schizophrenic-aspect-to-my-own/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [I've been on a faculty in a university, and I felt it was incumbent on me to deal with the Bible not as something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/i-ve-been-on-a-faculty-in-a-university-and-i-felt-it-was-incumbent-on/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [At McCormick Theological Seminary I had to take Hebrew, so I began to read prophetic poetry, and suddenly it became the life I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/at-mccormick-theological-seminary-i-had-to-take-hebrew-so-i-began-to/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [For 35 years, Frank Cross held one of the most prestigious chairs in academia: the Hancock Professor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/for-35-years-frank-cross-held-one-of-the-most-prestigious-chairs-in/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [To treat the history of Israel as I would treat the history of England or Russia or China; that is, an attempt at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/to-treat-the-history-of-israel-as-i-would-treat-the-history-of/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [Elie Wiesel has for years served as the moral compass of the civilized world. For many of us, including me, he has defined the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/elie-wiesel-has-for-years-served-as-the-moral-compass-of-the/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) > [ We \[with Frank Moore Cross\] have the same fervor, the same passion when in front of us is a page, a unique page -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hershel-shanks/we-with-frank-moore-cross-have-the-same-fervor-the-same-passion-when/) [Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) [Explore all 22 Hershel Shanks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hershel-shanks/) ## More Areas quotes > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The earliest language was body language and, since this language is the language of questions, if we limit the questions, and if we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-earliest-language-was-body-language-and-since-this-language-is/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [It's absolutely fun to walk around and have people respect you. When Michael Jackson did Thriller, I was in the park one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/it-s-absolutely-fun-to-walk-around-and-have-people-respect-you-when/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/) [Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/) [John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/) > [Engaging the city around us and ministering to its needs reveal to us the remaining bastions of sin in our lives, the areas we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/engaging-the-city-around-us-and-ministering-to-its-needs-reveal-to-us/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [I believe it is a mistake to isolate arms control from other areas of policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-believe-it-is-a-mistake-to-isolate-arms-control-from-other-areas-of/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Well, the U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 is very clear. 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