--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History was interesting to the extent…" description: "\"“History was interesting to the extent that it was catastrophic and, while that might make absorbing viewing, it made horrible living.”\" — Isaac Asimov" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/isaac-asimov-309_history_history-was-interesting-to-the-extent-th_850984.jpg" --- # History was interesting to the extent that it was… ![“History was interesting to the extent that it was catastrophic and, while that might make absorbing viewing, it made horrible living.” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/isaac-asimov-309_history_history-was-interesting-to-the-extent-th_850984.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/isaac-asimov-309_history_history-was-interesting-to-the-extent-th_850984.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/isaac-asimov-309_history_history-was-interesting-to-the-extent-th_850984.jpg) > ““History was interesting to the extent that it was catastrophic and, while that might make absorbing viewing, it made horrible living.”” [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## 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 fascinating because it’s catastrophic, yet those events make life terrible. **In simple terms:** Catastrophic history is captivating but painful. Key Takeaway Learn from past catastrophes. Themes history catastrophe human experience Mood somber analytical Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - education - policy making - personal reflection Key Concepts historical trauma learning from past Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can we draw from past disasters? - How do we balance awe and suffering? A Different Perspective Focusing on catastrophe may cause pessimism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Catastrophic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophic/) [Catastrophic Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophic-make-749096/) [Extent Catastrophic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extent-catastrophic-749095/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-interesting-555282/) [History-of-mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-of-mankind/) [Horrible Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible-living-749097/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [I am trying to reach people who would not normally head for the history section of a book shop or a library to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-michael-of-kent/i-am-trying-to-reach-people-who-would-not-normally-head-for-the/) [Princess Michael of Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-michael-of-kent/) > [Older recordings just seemed to take me somewhere into my own pre-history. 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Now in the year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-van-loon/in-another-chapter-i-have-told-you-how-in-the-year-800-a-german/) [Hendrik Van Loon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-van-loon/) > [L.A. prides itself on newness or being the last frontier or just not liking old things and tearing them down to build new things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/l-a-prides-itself-on-newness-or-being-the-last-frontier-or-just-not/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I am now reading Cooper's Naval History which I find very interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-now-reading-cooper-s-naval-history-which-i-find-very-interesting/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [History is more interesting than most people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tansy-rayner-roberts/history-is-more-interesting-than-most-people-think/) [Tansy Rayner Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tansy-rayner-roberts/) > [Students will start finding history interesting when their teachers and textbooks stop lying to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/students-will-start-finding-history-interesting-when-their-teachers/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [I was very interested in history, but I also thought, you know, history is not that interesting sometimes, and it can feel a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-was-very-interested-in-history-but-i-also-thought-you-know-history/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [What's so interesting to me about history is - what's interesting to anyone - is how humans are the same. 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It just reminds us what to do and what not to do in the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mitchell/history-is-not-a-bad-thing-it-just-reminds-us-what-to-do-and-what-not/) [Phil MItchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mitchell/) > [“History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind." --- Edward Gibbon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/history-is-little-more-than-the-register-of-the-crimes-follies-and/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [“Years later, as a professor, Martin would try to find the words to articulate the power of togetherness in a world where togetherness had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-shattuck/years-later-as-a-professor-martin-would-try-to-find-the-words-to/) [Jessica Shattuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-shattuck/) ## More by Isaac Asimov > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Uncertainty that comes from knowledge (knowing what you don't know) is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/uncertainty-that-comes-from-knowledge-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-is/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Don't you see? It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [When life is so harsh that a man loses all hope in himself, then he raises his eyes to a shining rock, worshipping it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/when-life-is-so-harsh-that-a-man-loses-all-hope-in-himself-then-he/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More Catastrophic quotes > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. 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Catastrophic data loss can happen to you - one worm or Trojan is all it takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/back-up-everything-you-are-not-invulnerable-catastrophic-data-loss/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [I've had great success and I've had catastrophic failure. It's really how you handle the rough stuff that defines you, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-berg/i-ve-had-great-success-and-i-ve-had-catastrophic-failure-it-s-really/) [Peter Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-berg/) > [Obamacare is going to destroy the elderly by denying care, by even perhaps denying treatment to people who are in catastrophic circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-cruz/obamacare-is-going-to-destroy-the-elderly-by-denying-care-by-even/) [Rafael Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-cruz/) > [The economic impact of illegal immigration on taxpayers is catastrophic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-keller/the-economic-impact-of-illegal-immigration-on-taxpayers-is/) [Ric Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-keller/) > [There's always a possibility that you can have a catastrophic failure, of course. This could happen on any flight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-grissom/there-s-always-a-possibility-that-you-can-have-a-catastrophic-failure/) [Gus Grissom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-grissom/) > [Lawsuits are rare and catastrophic experiences for the vast majority of men, and even when the catastrophe ensues, the controversy relates most often not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/lawsuits-are-rare-and-catastrophic-experiences-for-the-vast-majority/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) > [We must act now to make sure fresh water is available to everyone, no matter where they live. The consequences of doing nothing will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/we-must-act-now-to-make-sure-fresh-water-is-available-to-everyone-no/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [The French suffered such catastrophic losses in the First World War. 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