--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: in statesmanship, too great a…" description: "\"“in statesmanship, too great a preoccupation to avoid the errors of the past makes it likely that you will fall into the errors of the present.”\" — Hug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/hugh-brogan-24641_time_in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupati_2120347.jpg" --- # in statesmanship, too great a preoccupation to avoid the… ![“in statesmanship, too great a preoccupation to avoid the errors of the past makes it likely that you will fall into the errors of the present.” quote by Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/hugh-brogan-24641_time_in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupati_2120347.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/hugh-brogan-24641_time_in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupati_2120347.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/hugh-brogan-24641_time_in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupati_2120347.jpg) > ““in statesmanship, too great a preoccupation to avoid the errors of the past makes it likely that you will fall into the errors of the present.”” [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being overly fixated on past mistakes can blind you to current errors. **In simple terms:** Focusing too much on history can cause new mistakes. Key Takeaway Learn from history but stay present. Themes history leadership decision‑making Mood analytical cautious Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - policy development - corporate strategy - personal growth - educational curricula Key Concepts cognitive bias learning theory Questions to Reflect On - What past lessons are truly relevant today? - How do you spot present‑day errors? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on past may ignore novel solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avoid Errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-errors-1372385/) [Errors Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors-past-1132396/) [Preoccupation Avoid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preoccupation-avoid-4322776/) [Statesmanship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statesmanship/) [Statesmanship Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statesmanship-great-4322775/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [To better avoid errors, you should talk to people who disagree with you and you should talk to people who are not in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/to-better-avoid-errors-you-should-talk-to-people-who-disagree-with/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [The most that the Convention could do in such a situation, was to avoid the errors suggested by the past experience of other countries,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-most-that-the-convention-could-do-in-such-a-situation-was-to/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [So easy it is to see the errors of past ages, so difficult to acknowledge our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-m-child/so-easy-it-is-to-see-the-errors-of-past-ages-so-difficult-to/) [Lydia M. Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-m-child/) > [We look at everything as live and learn. So if there was an experience that happened and certain things didn't work out, to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-glazer/we-look-at-everything-as-live-and-learn-so-if-there-was-an-experience/) [Joel Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-glazer/) > [Some positive persisting fops we know, Who, if once wrong, will needs be always so; But you with pleasure own your errors past, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/some-positive-persisting-fops-we-know-who-if-once-wrong-will-needs-be/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Compromise makes a good umbrella, but a poor roof; it is temporary expedient, often wise in party politics, almost sure to be unwise in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/compromise-makes-a-good-umbrella-but-a-poor-roof-it-is-temporary/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The frenzy of nations is the statesmanship of fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-frenzy-of-nations-is-the-statesmanship-of-fate/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The statesman cannot govern without stability of belief, true or false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-statesman-cannot-govern-without-stability-of-belief-true-or-false/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Statesmen have to bend to the collective will of their peoples or be broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/statesmen-have-to-bend-to-the-collective-will-of-their-peoples-or-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The chief element in the art of statesmanship under modern conditions is the ability to elucidate the confused and clamorous interests which converge upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-chief-element-in-the-art-of-statesmanship-under-modern-conditions/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [The supreme function of statesmanship is to provide against preventable evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/the-supreme-function-of-statesmanship-is-to-provide-against/) [Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/) > [Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/behind-the-ostensible-government-sits-enthroned-an-invisible/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Statesmanship is harder than politics. Politics is the art of getting along with people, whereas statesmanship is the art of getting along with politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fletcher-knebel/statesmanship-is-harder-than-politics-politics-is-the-art-of-getting/) [Fletcher Knebel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fletcher-knebel/) > [...to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/to-befoul-the-unholy-alliance-between-corrupt-business-and-corrupt/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [War can be prevented only by broad-minded statesmanship - a statesmanship that understands how to enlist people's interests in a leading cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/war-can-be-prevented-only-by-broad-minded-statesmanship-a/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) ## More by Hugh Brogan > [“The importance of capital in the early Industrial Revolution was so great and so obvious everywhere that it gave rise to several new social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/the-importance-of-capital-in-the-early-industrial-revolution-was-so/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“The business of America is business,’ said Calvin Coolidge”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/the-business-of-america-is-business-said-calvin-coolidge/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“Certainly, the new day was at hand when President Harding took office. The amazing disparity between the job and the man has the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/certainly-the-new-day-was-at-hand-when-president-harding-took-office/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“In an election speech in 1936, he said: I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men coughing out their gassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/in-an-election-speech-in-1936-he-said-i-have-seen-blood-running-from/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“Reverend John Allen of Massachusetts took up the cry: Blush ye pretended votaries for freedom! ye trifling patriots!… for while you are fasting, praying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/reverend-john-allen-of-massachusetts-took-up-the-cry-blush-ye/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“The most successful politician is he who says what everybody is thinking most often and in the loudest voice. Theodore Roosevelt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/the-most-successful-politician-is-he-who-says-what-everybody-is/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“The day was not far off when, as the saying goes, if Wall Street sneezed, the rest of the world would catch a cold.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/the-day-was-not-far-off-when-as-the-saying-goes-if-wall-street/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“A library of books like Madison Grant’s The Passing of the Great Race (1916) warned the Americans that they could not safely continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/a-library-of-books-like-madison-grant-s-the-passing-of-the-great-race/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“The new Republican party thought that it did, and in its 1856 platform denounced slavery and polygamy together as ‘twin relics of barbarism’. Or”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/the-new-republican-party-thought-that-it-did-and-in-its-1856-platform/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“a confirmation of two of history’s more dismal lessons: that grand alliances rarely survive the shock of victory, and that great powers usually behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/a-confirmation-of-two-of-history-s-more-dismal-lessons-that-grand/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“Hating your neighbour is almost as secure a psychological prop as loving him, especially if he differs from you in looks, language or habits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/hating-your-neighbour-is-almost-as-secure-a-psychological-prop-as/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“The Republicans, however, refused to let power slip from their hands so easily. The carpetbag governments in Louisiana and South Carolina announced that Rutherford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/the-republicans-however-refused-to-let-power-slip-from-their-hands-so/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“The Congressmen and Senators themselves had seen to it that bribery was the only way of doing business with them. Frequently they would introduce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/the-congressmen-and-senators-themselves-had-seen-to-it-that-bribery/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“In the South it was feared that immigrants did not have the correct racial attitudes: five Italians were lynched, in Tallulah, Louisiana, for associating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/in-the-south-it-was-feared-that-immigrants-did-not-have-the-correct/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [“A common canard of the time showed Ike viewing the Presidency simply as an agreeable place in which to pass the early years of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/a-common-canard-of-the-time-showed-ike-viewing-the-presidency-simply/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) [Explore all 24 Hugh Brogan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) ## More Statesmanship quotes > [War can be prevented only by broad-minded statesmanship - a statesmanship that understands how to enlist people's interests in a leading cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/war-can-be-prevented-only-by-broad-minded-statesmanship-a/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [...to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/to-befoul-the-unholy-alliance-between-corrupt-business-and-corrupt/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Statesmanship is harder than politics. Politics is the art of getting along with people, whereas statesmanship is the art of getting along with politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fletcher-knebel/statesmanship-is-harder-than-politics-politics-is-the-art-of-getting/) [Fletcher Knebel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fletcher-knebel/) > [Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/behind-the-ostensible-government-sits-enthroned-an-invisible/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The supreme function of statesmanship is to provide against preventable evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/the-supreme-function-of-statesmanship-is-to-provide-against/) [Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/) > [The chief element in the art of statesmanship under modern conditions is the ability to elucidate the confused and clamorous interests which converge upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-chief-element-in-the-art-of-statesmanship-under-modern-conditions/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Statesmen have to bend to the collective will of their peoples or be broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/statesmen-have-to-bend-to-the-collective-will-of-their-peoples-or-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The statesman cannot govern without stability of belief, true or false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-statesman-cannot-govern-without-stability-of-belief-true-or-false/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The frenzy of nations is the statesmanship of fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-frenzy-of-nations-is-the-statesmanship-of-fate/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Compromise makes a good umbrella, but a poor roof; it is temporary expedient, often wise in party politics, almost sure to be unwise in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/compromise-makes-a-good-umbrella-but-a-poor-roof-it-is-temporary/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [By and by when each nation has 20,000 battleships and 5,000,000 soldiers we shall all be safe and the wisdom of statesmanship will stand confirmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/by-and-by-when-each-nation-has-20-000-battleships-and-5-000-000/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war, and Lincoln is the model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionists-as-just-maniacs-apolitical/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“Since the debt limit simply accommodates debt that has already been incurred, raising it should, in theory, be perfunctory. But politicians have found it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-e-mann/since-the-debt-limit-simply-accommodates-debt-that-has-already-been/) [Thomas E. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-e-mann/) > [Statesman create; ordinary leaders consume. The ordinary leader is satisfied with ameliorating the environment, not transforming it; a statesman must be a visionary and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/statesman-create-ordinary-leaders-consume-the-ordinary-leader-is/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [President George Bush had the courage and the vision and we will always be grateful to President George Bush for that tremendous leadership and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/president-george-bush-had-the-courage-and-the-vision-and-we-will/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) [Browse all 95 Statesmanship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statesmanship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“in statesmanship, too great a preoccupation to avoid the errors of the past makes it likely that you will fall into the errors of the present.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hugh Brogan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupation-to-avoid-the-errors-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Statesmanship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupation-to-avoid-the-errors-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/hugh-brogan-24641_time_in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupati_2120347.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/hugh-brogan-24641_time_in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupati_2120347.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/hugh-brogan-24641_time_in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupati_2120347.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“in statesmanship, too great a preoccupation to avoid the errors of the past makes it likely that you will…” — Hugh Brogan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hugh Brogan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“in statesmanship, too great a preoccupation...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupation-to-avoid-the-errors-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/in-statesmanship-too-great-a-preoccupation-to-avoid-the-errors-of-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```