---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To delve into history entails, besides…"
description: "\"To delve into history entails, besides the grievance of hard work, the danger that in the depths one may lose one’s scapegoats.\" — Jacques Barzun"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/297/jacques-barzun-3251_danger_to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-th_1855283.png"
---

#  To delve into history entails, besides the grievance of…

![“To delve into history entails, besides the grievance of hard work, the danger that in the depths one may lose one’s scapegoats.” quote by Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/297/jacques-barzun-3251_danger_to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-th_1855283.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/297/jacques-barzun-3251_danger_to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-th_1855283.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/297/jacques-barzun-3251_danger_to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-th_1855283.png)

> “To delve into history entails, besides the grievance of hard work, the danger that in the depths one may lose one’s scapegoats.”

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

## About This Quote

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

Studying history demands effort and risks losing simple scapegoats, making analysis harder.

**In simple terms:** History study is hard and can lose clear villains.

Key Takeaway

Balance hard work with critical perspective.

Themes

history analysis complexity

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

academic reflective

When to use this quote

- academic research
- teaching
- public policy
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

critical thinking historical methodology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you avoid blaming single causes?
- What complexities arise when digging deep?

A Different Perspective

Scapegoats may oversimplify causes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Grievance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grievance/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Scapegoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoat/) [Scapegoats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoats/)

## Related quotes

> [When people are taken out of their depths they lose their heads, no matter how charming a bluff they may put up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/when-people-are-taken-out-of-their-depths-they-lose-their-heads-no/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [The intrusion of history is not just theoretical. It is also the legacy of being an accomplice or a victim, or just an onlooker.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-maier/the-intrusion-of-history-is-not-just-theoretical-it-is-also-the/)

[Charles S. Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-maier/)

> [Society has traditionally always tried to find scapegoats, well here I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/society-has-traditionally-always-tried-to-find-scapegoats-well-here-i/)

[Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/)

> [When things go badly, individuals look for scapegoats. I just do not believe that barbed-wire fences or guns on our border will solve any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/when-things-go-badly-individuals-look-for-scapegoats-i-just-do-not/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [The search for scapegoats is essentially an abnegation of responsibility: it indicates an inability to assess honestly and intelligently the true nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/the-search-for-scapegoats-is-essentially-an-abnegation-of/)

[Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/)

> [For some high-profile men in trouble, women, especially feminist women, became the all-purpose scapegoats-charged with crimes that often descended into the absurd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-faludi/for-some-high-profile-men-in-trouble-women-especially-feminist-women/)

[Susan Faludi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-faludi/)

> [The intelligence suffers today automatically in consequence of the attack on all authority, advantage, or privilege. These things are not done away with, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/the-intelligence-suffers-today-automatically-in-consequence-of-the/)

[Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/)

> [Bankers were scapegoats for the whole Reagan-Thatcher era, which exalted finance and humbled industry, and which had allowed the fruits of progress to accrue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-skidelsky-baron-skidelsky/bankers-were-scapegoats-for-the-whole-reagan-thatcher-era-which/)

[Robert Skidelsky, Baron Skidelsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-skidelsky-baron-skidelsky/)

> [Democracy is susceptible to being led astray by having scapegoats paraded in front of the electorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/democracy-is-susceptible-to-being-led-astray-by-having-scapegoats/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [People are upset. They know something is wrong. But they don't know what. The real explanation is too complicated. They won't sit still for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bonner/people-are-upset-they-know-something-is-wrong-but-they-don-t-know/)

[Bill Bonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bonner/)

> [“We are too prone to make technological instruments the scapegoats for the crimes of those who wield them. The products of modern science are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sarnoff/we-are-too-prone-to-make-technological-instruments-the-scapegoats-for/)

[David Sarnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sarnoff/)

> [It seems a universal rule in this world that people will always look for victims and scapegoats, does it not? Especially at times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-sansom/it-seems-a-universal-rule-in-this-world-that-people-will-always-look/)

[C.J. Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-sansom/)

> [Each person must ask what his relationship is to the scapegoat. I am not aware of my own, and I am persuaded that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/each-person-must-ask-what-his-relationship-is-to-the-scapegoat-i-am/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [“The rite, the becoming-animal of the scapegoat clearly illustrates this: a first expiatory animal is sacrificed, but a second is driven away, sent out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/the-rite-the-becoming-animal-of-the-scapegoat-clearly-illustrates/)

[Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/)

> [They change scapegoats at the networks more regularly than some people change socks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/they-change-scapegoats-at-the-networks-more-regularly-than-some/)

[Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/)

## More by Jacques Barzun

> [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [It seems a long time since the morning mail could be called correspondence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/it-seems-a-long-time-since-the-morning-mail-could-be-called/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/teaching-is-not-a-lost-art-but-the-regard-for-it-is-a-lost-tradition/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [The reason why research is like sculpting from memory is that in neither is there a concrete visible subject to copy directly. The subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-reason-why-research-is-like-sculpting-from-memory-is-that-in/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [Everybody keeps calling for Excellence - excellence not just in schooling, throughout society. But as soon as somebody or something stands out as Excellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/everybody-keeps-calling-for-excellence-excellence-not-just-in/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [Bernard Shaw remains the only model we have of what the citizen of a democracy should be: an informed participant in all things we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/bernard-shaw-remains-the-only-model-we-have-of-what-the-citizen-of-a/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [The ascetic is often a sensualist who has reached the limit of his capacity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-ascetic-is-often-a-sensualist-who-has-reached-the-limit-of-his/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [Idealism springs from deep feelings, but feelings are nothing without the formulated idea that keeps them whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/idealism-springs-from-deep-feelings-but-feelings-are-nothing-without/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/in-teaching-you-cannot-see-the-fruit-of-a-day-s-work-it-is-invisible/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [The mind tends to run along the groove of one's intention and overlook the actual expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-mind-tends-to-run-along-the-groove-of-one-s-intention-and/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [Vanity is a static thing. It puts it faith in what it has, and is easily wounded. Pride is active, and satisfied only with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/vanity-is-a-static-thing-it-puts-it-faith-in-what-it-has-and-is/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [By the time I was 9, I had the conviction that everybody in the world was an artist except plumbers or people who delivered groceries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/by-the-time-i-was-9-i-had-the-conviction-that-everybody-in-the-world/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [A student under my care owes his first allegiance to himself and not to my specialty; and must not be burdened with my work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/a-student-under-my-care-owes-his-first-allegiance-to-himself-and-not/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [We are accustomed to the artist scoundrel or specialist in vice, and unaccustomed to the creator in whom passion and reason and moral integrity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/we-are-accustomed-to-the-artist-scoundrel-or-specialist-in-vice-and/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [The professionals resemble and recognize each other by virtue of the stigmata that their trade has left upon them. They are like the dog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-professionals-resemble-and-recognize-each-other-by-virtue-of-the/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

[Explore all 135 Jacques Barzun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

## More Danger quotes

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [“Anything you fear is a shackle to ur soul. It is a phobia that tethers and blinds ur ability to see and comprehend your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/anything-you-fear-is-a-shackle-to-ur-soul-it-is-a-phobia-that-tethers/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/)

[Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/)

> [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/)

Christopher Wood

> [There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anything. ... No great party can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-dangers-in-consensus-it-could-be-an-attempt-to-satisfy/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [“I’ll always come back to you,” he said. “Always.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/i-ll-always-come-back-to-you-he-said-always/)

[Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/)

> [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/)

[Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/)

> [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/)

[Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/)

> [A sea setting us upon the ice has brought us close to danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hudson/a-sea-setting-us-upon-the-ice-has-brought-us-close-to-danger/)

[Henry Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hudson/)

> [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [There's a danger in starting a fire, you'll never know how many bridges you'll burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-danger-in-starting-a-fire-you-ll-never-know-how-many/)

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

> [This is the gift of your species and this is the danger, because you do not choose to control your imaginings. You imagine wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-is-the-gift-of-your-species-and-this-is-the-danger-because-you/)

[Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/)

[Browse all 5,463 Danger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "To delve into history entails, besides the grievance of hard work, the danger that in the depths one may lose one’s scapegoats.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jacques Barzun"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-the-grievance-of-hard-work-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Danger"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-the-grievance-of-hard-work-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/297/jacques-barzun-3251_danger_to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-th_1855283.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/297/jacques-barzun-3251_danger_to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-th_1855283.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/297/jacques-barzun-3251_danger_to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-th_1855283.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To delve into history entails, besides the grievance of hard work, the danger that in the depths one may…” — Jacques Barzun",
                "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": "Jacques Barzun",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To delve into history entails, besides...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-the-grievance-of-hard-work-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/to-delve-into-history-entails-besides-the-grievance-of-hard-work-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
