--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If mankind had always been logical and…" description: "\"If mankind had always been logical and wise, history would not be a long chronicle of folly and crime.\" — James G. Frazer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/james-g-frazer-17815_chronicles_if-mankind-had-always-been-logical-and-w_995403.jpg" --- # If mankind had always been logical and wise, history would… ![“If mankind had always been logical and wise, history would not be a long chronicle of folly and crime.” quote by James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/james-g-frazer-17815_chronicles_if-mankind-had-always-been-logical-and-w_995403.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/james-g-frazer-17815_chronicles_if-mankind-had-always-been-logical-and-w_995403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/james-g-frazer-17815_chronicles_if-mankind-had-always-been-logical-and-w_995403.jpg) > “If mankind had always been logical and wise, history would not be a long chronicle of folly and crime.” [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human history is riddled with irrationality and wrongdoing, showing that logic and wisdom alone cannot prevent folly and crime. **In simple terms:** History shows humans often act irrationally and commit crimes. Key Takeaway Cultivate humility and critical thinking. Themes history human nature irrationality ethics Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical inquisitive When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - conflict resolution - personal ethics Key Concepts Moral philosophy cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - Why do we repeat past mistakes? - What role does emotion play in decision‑making? A Different Perspective Rationality alone cannot solve deep-rooted societal issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chronicles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chronicles/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Folly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folly/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-long-905548/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Logical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logical/) [Logical Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logical-wise-2065657/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Mankind Logical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind-logical-2065656/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-history-1862616/) ## Related quotes > [A nature wise With finding in itself the types of all, With watching from the dim verge of the time What things to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/a-nature-wise-with-finding-in-itself-the-types-of-all-with-watching/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Buffett's uncommon urge to chronicle made him a unique character in American life, not only a great capitalist but the Great Explainer of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-lowenstein/buffett-s-uncommon-urge-to-chronicle-made-him-a-unique-character-in/) [Roger Lowenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-lowenstein/) > [History's long arc is different than the today's headlines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/history-s-long-arc-is-different-than-the-today-s-headlines/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [History has a long-range perspective. It ultimately passes stern judgment on tyrants and vindicates those who fought, suffered, were imprisoned, and died for human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gurley-flynn/history-has-a-long-range-perspective-it-ultimately-passes-stern/) [Elizabeth Gurley Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gurley-flynn/) > [And how fascinating history is - the long, variegated pageant of man's still continuing evolution of this strange planet, so much the most interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-trevelyan/and-how-fascinating-history-is-the-long-variegated-pageant-of-man-s/) [G. M. Trevelyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-trevelyan/) > [“... I grant you that anyone who pokes around in history long enough may well go mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kostova/i-grant-you-that-anyone-who-pokes-around-in-history-long-enough-may/) [Elizabeth Kostova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kostova/) > [The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-arc-of-history-is-long-but-it-bends-toward-justice/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Once and always a part of history, Long remembered warriors be, Distant thunders echoes of the past, Through our voices forever to last, So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skyrim/once-and-always-a-part-of-history-long-remembered-warriors-be-distant/) [Skyrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skyrim/) > [History is the long and tragic story of the fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/history-is-the-long-and-tragic-story-of-the-fact-that-privileged/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [History ... with its long, leisurely, gentlemanly labors, the books arriving by post, the cards to be kept and filed, the sections to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hardwick/history-with-its-long-leisurely-gentlemanly-labors-the-books-arriving/) [Elizabeth Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hardwick/) > [My history is long, and not much of it is good. I can't erase it, but I'm determined not to make another mistake. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/my-history-is-long-and-not-much-of-it-is-good-i-can-t-erase-it-but-i/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [“The arch of History is long, but it bends towards justice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/the-arch-of-history-is-long-but-it-bends-towards-justice/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [History is the long struggle of man, by exercise of his reason, to understand his environment and to act upon it. But the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hallett-carr/history-is-the-long-struggle-of-man-by-exercise-of-his-reason-to/) [Edward Hallett Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hallett-carr/) > [History is the long, difficult and confused dream of Mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/history-is-the-long-difficult-and-confused-dream-of-mankind/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) ## More by James G. Frazer > [But once a fool always a fool, and the greater the power in his hands the more disastrous is likely to be the use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/but-once-a-fool-always-a-fool-and-the-greater-the-power-in-his-hands/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [The man of science, like the man of letters, is too apt to view mankind only in the abstract, selecting in his consideration only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/the-man-of-science-like-the-man-of-letters-is-too-apt-to-view-mankind/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [Dwellers by the sea cannot fail to be impressed by the sight of its ceaseless ebb and flow, and are apt, on the principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/dwellers-by-the-sea-cannot-fail-to-be-impressed-by-the-sight-of-its/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [In point of fact magicians appear to have often developed into chiefs and kings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/in-point-of-fact-magicians-appear-to-have-often-developed-into-chiefs/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [For when a nation becomes civilized, if it does not drop human sacrifices altogether, it at least selects as victims only such wretches as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/for-when-a-nation-becomes-civilized-if-it-does-not-drop-human/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [I am a plain practical man, not one of your theorists and splitters of hairs and choppers of logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/i-am-a-plain-practical-man-not-one-of-your-theorists-and-splitters-of/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [The slow, the never ending approach to truth consists in perpetually forming and testing hypotheses, accepting those at which at the time seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/the-slow-the-never-ending-approach-to-truth-consists-in-perpetually/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [The second principle of magic: things which have once been in contact with each other continue to act on each other at a distance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/the-second-principle-of-magic-things-which-have-once-been-in-contact/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [The consideration of human suffering is not one which enters into the calculations of primitive man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/the-consideration-of-human-suffering-is-not-one-which-enters-into-the/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [Some of the old laws of Israel are clearly savage taboos of a familiar type thinly disguised as commands of the Deity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/some-of-the-old-laws-of-israel-are-clearly-savage-taboos-of-a/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [For there are strong grounds for thinking that, in the evolution of thought, magic has preceded religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/for-there-are-strong-grounds-for-thinking-that-in-the-evolution-of/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [Even the recognition of an individual whom we see every day is only possible as the result of an abstract idea of him formed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/even-the-recognition-of-an-individual-whom-we-see-every-day-is-only/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [The world cannot live at the level of its great men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/the-world-cannot-live-at-the-level-of-its-great-men/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [The temple of the sylvan goddess, indeed, has vanished, and the King of the Wood no longer stands sentinel over the Golden Bough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/the-temple-of-the-sylvan-goddess-indeed-has-vanished-and-the-king-of/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [The abundance, the solidity, and the splendor of the results already achieved by science are well fitted to inspire us with a cheerful confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/the-abundance-the-solidity-and-the-splendor-of-the-results-already/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) [Explore all 36 James G. Frazer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) ## More Chronicles quotes > [My first name was inspired by the character of Aslan, the lion in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aselin-debison/my-first-name-was-inspired-by-the-character-of-aslan-the-lion-in-c-s/) [Aselin Debison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aselin-debison/) > [The truth is when you have a movie that was as successful as 'Chronicle' was, it's not as quick of a process. 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The only distinction between me and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/it-is-not-only-my-dreams-my-belief-is-that-all-these-dreams-are-yours/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [“Sex is Not Love”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizelle-du-plessis/sex-is-not-love/) [Lizelle Du\_Plessis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizelle-du-plessis/) > [Up until the late unpleasantness of the Civil war, then, the right of secession was more or less taken for granted in many quarters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/up-until-the-late-unpleasantness-of-the-civil-war-then-the-right-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The Old Testament is a chronicle of horrors, describing an egocentric collection of supernatural beings who were always doing rotten things to gentle souls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-keel/the-old-testament-is-a-chronicle-of-horrors-describing-an-egocentric/) [John A. 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