---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When historians look back on our century…"
description: "\"When historians look back on our century, they may remember it most, not for space travel or the release of nuclear energy, but as the time when the pe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/huston-smith-2415_century_when-historians-look-back-on-our-century_1815369.png"
---

#  When historians look back on our century, they may…

![“When historians look back on our century, they may remember it most, not for space travel or the release of nuclear energy, but as the time when the peoples of the world first came to take one another seriously.” quote by Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/huston-smith-2415_century_when-historians-look-back-on-our-century_1815369.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/huston-smith-2415_century_when-historians-look-back-on-our-century_1815369.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/huston-smith-2415_century_when-historians-look-back-on-our-century_1815369.png)

> “When historians look back on our century, they may remember it most, not for space travel or the release of nuclear energy, but as the time when the peoples of the world first came to take one another seriously.”

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The era will be remembered for humanity finally treating each other with respect, not technological feats.

**In simple terms:** People will recall the rise of global respect.

Key Takeaway

Foster mutual respect worldwide.

Themes

humanity respect globalization

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

historical inspirational

When to use this quote

- diplomacy
- international relations
- education
- media coverage

Key Concepts

philosophy ethics history

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we promote global empathy?
- What policies encourage mutual respect?

A Different Perspective

Technological achievements may still dominate narratives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Century Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century-remember-2149398/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [Historians Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians-look-2149399/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Look Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-century-2149400/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Nuclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear/) [Nuclear energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-energy/) [Release](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/release/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-travel/) [Time Peoples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-peoples-2149401/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [I’m a big fan of history—applying the lessons as well as the joys and sadness. If we pay attention, we would see how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-m-a-big-fan-of-history-applying-the-lessons-as-well-as-the-joys-and/)

[Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/)

> [When future historians look back on our way of curing inflation...they'll probably compare it to bloodletting in the Middle Ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/when-future-historians-look-back-on-our-way-of-curing-inflation-they/)

[Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/)

> [One of the things historians do is we look for patterns. And in many ways, Donald Trump is a very easy read, because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/one-of-the-things-historians-do-is-we-look-for-patterns-and-in-many/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [When historians look at the Obama presidency, they're likely to credit him especially for doing the politically unpopular things that were needed in 2009…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/when-historians-look-at-the-obama-presidency-they-re-likely-to-credit/)

[David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/)

> [Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-nuclear-energy-it-s-just-that-i-prefer/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [India has the most technically ambitious and innovative nuclear energy program in the world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegfried-hecker/india-has-the-most-technically-ambitious-and-innovative-nuclear/)

[Siegfried Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegfried-hecker/)

> [For the first time ever, we have confronted in reality the sinister power of uncontrolled nuclear energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/for-the-first-time-ever-we-have-confronted-in-reality-the-sinister/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [Nuclear energy stands at the forefront of the renewable energy renaissance, and U.S. policy must allow this industry to flourish independent of burdensome and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-donalds/nuclear-energy-stands-at-the-forefront-of-the-renewable-energy/)

[Byron Donalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-donalds/)

> [There is no question we need an energy policy overhaul in America. A key part of that overhaul must include moving forward aggressively with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-paulsen/there-is-no-question-we-need-an-energy-policy-overhaul-in-america-a/)

[Erik Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-paulsen/)

> [I know that nuclear is better than fossil fuels when it comes to carbon dioxide, but nuclear energy is by no means clean. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/i-know-that-nuclear-is-better-than-fossil-fuels-when-it-comes-to/)

[Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/)

> [ He \[Mikhail Gorbachev\] has, as many great leaders have, impressive eyes…There's a kind of laser-beam stare, a forced quality, you get from Gorbachev that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/he-mikhail-gorbachev-has-as-many-great-leaders-have-impressive-eyes/)

[Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/)

> [For years, I have been a strong supporter of clean, safe nuclear energy as an important part of our energy mix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/for-years-i-have-been-a-strong-supporter-of-clean-safe-nuclear-energy/)

[Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/)

> [“While nuclear fusion is great achievement, it is important that we look into the negative aspects of it. The development of nuclear energy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/while-nuclear-fusion-is-great-achievement-it-is-important-that-we/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [If we are to take the clean energy future of the United States seriously, we must consider a whole-of-government approach to implementing nuclear energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-donalds/if-we-are-to-take-the-clean-energy-future-of-the-united-states/)

[Byron Donalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-donalds/)

> [“Three Moonie 65-megaton hydrogen bombs exploded nearly simultaneously at very high altitude. With no air around the bombs to absorb the initial blast of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hg47/three-moonie-65-megaton-hydrogen-bombs-exploded-nearly-simultaneously/)

[@hg47](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hg47/)

## More by Huston Smith

> [“The Transcendent was my morning meal, we had the Eternal at lunch, and I ate a slice of the Infinite at dinner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/the-transcendent-was-my-morning-meal-we-had-the-eternal-at-lunch-and/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [The first koan do not have rational answers. They are techniques devised over the millennia for triggering an actual experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/the-first-koan-do-not-have-rational-answers-they-are-techniques/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [We all carry it within us: supreme strength, the fullness of wisdom, unquenchable joy. It is never thwarted, and cannot be destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/we-all-carry-it-within-us-supreme-strength-the-fullness-of-wisdom/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [A nation can assume that the addition of the words "under God" to its pledge of allegiance gives evidence that its citizens actually believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/a-nation-can-assume-that-the-addition-of-the-words-under-god-to-its/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [“Some friends accused me of whoring after the Infinite. Well, what better whoredom is there?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/some-friends-accused-me-of-whoring-after-the-infinite-well-what/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [Imagine a man besottedly in love: he won't waste time speculating whether other women equally merit his affection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/imagine-a-man-besottedly-in-love-he-won-t-waste-time-speculating/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [“If my opinion that substance requires a true unity were founded only on a definition I had formulated in opposition to common usage, \*then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/if-my-opinion-that-substance-requires-a-true-unity-were-founded-only/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [The New Age movement looks like a mixed bag. I see much in it that seems good: It's optimistic; it's enthusiastic; it has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/the-new-age-movement-looks-like-a-mixed-bag-i-see-much-in-it-that/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [Science can prove nothing about God, because God lies outside its province.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/science-can-prove-nothing-about-god-because-god-lies-outside-its/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [I had assumed that Bush's seemingly inflexible policy to support Sharon was for political reasons of his getting elected. But as to whether he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/i-had-assumed-that-bush-s-seemingly-inflexible-policy-to-support/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [The Buddha is in me, the Buddha is in you. Live up to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/the-buddha-is-in-me-the-buddha-is-in-you-live-up-to-it/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [“How many planes there are, we do not know. The levels of nature that science discriminates give us no clue, for these all pertain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/how-many-planes-there-are-we-do-not-know-the-levels-of-nature-that/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [So always, if we look back, concern for face-to-face morality, and its modern emphasis on justice as well, have historically evolved as religious issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/so-always-if-we-look-back-concern-for-face-to-face-morality-and-its/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [All -isms end up in schisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/all-isms-end-up-in-schisms/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [Most of the book deals with things we already know yet never learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/most-of-the-book-deals-with-things-we-already-know-yet-never-learn/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

[Explore all 167 Huston Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

## More Century quotes

> [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/)

[David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/)

[Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/)

> [At no time in the past century has public distrust of the government been so broadly distributed across the political spectrum, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-zimmermann/at-no-time-in-the-past-century-has-public-distrust-of-the-government/)

[Phil Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-zimmermann/)

> [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/)

[Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/)

> [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 5,406 Century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When historians look back on our century, they may remember it most, not for space travel or the release of nuclear energy, but as the time when the peoples of the world first came to take one another seriously.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Huston Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/when-historians-look-back-on-our-century-they-may-remember-it-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Century"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/when-historians-look-back-on-our-century-they-may-remember-it-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/huston-smith-2415_century_when-historians-look-back-on-our-century_1815369.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/huston-smith-2415_century_when-historians-look-back-on-our-century_1815369.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/huston-smith-2415_century_when-historians-look-back-on-our-century_1815369.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When historians look back on our century, they may remember it most, not for space travel or the release of…” — Huston Smith",
                "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": "Huston Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When historians look back on our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/when-historians-look-back-on-our-century-they-may-remember-it-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/when-historians-look-back-on-our-century-they-may-remember-it-most/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
