--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is important. More than any other…" description: "\"History is important. More than any other topic, it is about us. Whether one deems our present society wondrous or awful or both, history reveals how w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/james-w-loewen-12569_awful_history-is-important-more-than-any-other_1949526.png" --- # History is important. More than any other topic, it is… ![“History is important. More than any other topic, it is about us. Whether one deems our present society wondrous or awful or both, history reveals how we got to this point.” quote by James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/james-w-loewen-12569_awful_history-is-important-more-than-any-other_1949526.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/james-w-loewen-12569_awful_history-is-important-more-than-any-other_1949526.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/james-w-loewen-12569_awful_history-is-important-more-than-any-other_1949526.png) > “History is important. More than any other topic, it is about us. Whether one deems our present society wondrous or awful or both, history reveals how we got to this point.” [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History shows how past choices shape current societies, reflecting collective identity and values. **In simple terms:** History explains who we are today. Key Takeaway Study the past to understand present challenges. Themes identity society learning reflection Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type educational reflective When to use this quote - education curricula - public policy debates - personal heritage research Key Concepts historical analysis collective memory Questions to Reflect On - How does knowing history change your view of today? - What stories are missing from mainstream narratives? A Different Perspective History can be selective and omit marginalized voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-important/) [History Reveals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-reveals-3154735/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Topic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-topic-3154734/) [Present Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-society-1064164/) [Topics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/topics/) [Wondrous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wondrous/) ## Related quotes > [Cancer is, in general, an increasingly important topic, in part because we've gotten so good at preventing other forms of death that cancer, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/cancer-is-in-general-an-increasingly-important-topic-in-part-because/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [I think people who speak and write about climate change and environmental degradation need to convey how interesting and important this topic is, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/i-think-people-who-speak-and-write-about-climate-change-and/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [“An ideal society, properly so-called, can be none other than an actual, present, society taken at its truest and best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-oakeshott/an-ideal-society-properly-so-called-can-be-none-other-than-an-actual/) [Michael Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-oakeshott/) > [Being alone in our present society raises an important question about identity and well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/being-alone-in-our-present-society-raises-an-important-question-about/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) > [The only thing that the psychically-human being can do to improve society is to present society with one improved unit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/the-only-thing-that-the-psychically-human-being-can-do-to-improve/) [Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/) > [Even the most wretched individual of our present society could not exist and develop without the cumulative social efforts of countless generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/even-the-most-wretched-individual-of-our-present-society-could-not/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Part of why history is so important in my life is because it brings you an awareness that everything isn't new. It gives context…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yara-shahidi/part-of-why-history-is-so-important-in-my-life-is-because-it-brings/) [Yara Shahidi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yara-shahidi/) > [Our Civil War history is important, but it belongs in textbooks and museums - not a place of allegiance on our Capitol grounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/our-civil-war-history-is-important-but-it-belongs-in-textbooks-and/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) > [Artists are part of the information process... Visual history is important in providing a record of what is going on - levels of intention,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-golub/artists-are-part-of-the-information-process-visual-history-is/) [Leon Golub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-golub/) > [Economic history is the most fundamental branch of history; not the most important. Foundations exist to carry better things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clapham/economic-history-is-the-most-fundamental-branch-of-history-not-the/) [John Clapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clapham/) > [History has become more important than ever because of the to unprecedented ability of the historical sciences to take in man's life on earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-kazin/history-has-become-more-important-than-ever-because-of-the-to/) [Alfred Kazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-kazin/) > [History is important. If you don't know history it is as if you were born yesterday. And if you were born yesterday, anybody up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/history-is-important-if-you-don-t-know-history-it-is-as-if-you-were/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I'm a person who enjoys history, and history is very important to us - very very important it's about making judgement on history. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/i-m-a-person-who-enjoys-history-and-history-is-very-important-to-us/) [Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/) > [I actually think history doesn't repeat itself. There are recurrent themes, but they're repeated with variations. Each time there's an immigration crisis, a threat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-hughes-hallett/i-actually-think-history-doesn-t-repeat-itself-there-are-recurrent/) [Lucy Hughes-Hallett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-hughes-hallett/) > [“History is so important. It has been said that the three most important words in the English language are “remember, remember, remember.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-richards/history-is-so-important-it-has-been-said-that-the-three-most/) [Carl Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-richards/) ## More by James W. Loewen > [Many Americans have never owned a book. And others have never owned a non-fiction book. Providing them with a 300-page paperback would get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/many-americans-have-never-owned-a-book-and-others-have-never-owned-a/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Textbooks pretty much have no real drama. They have no real storyline. To the extent they have a storyline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/textbooks-pretty-much-have-no-real-drama-they-have-no-real-storyline/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Taking ideas seriously does not fit with the rhetorical style of textbooks, which presents events so as to make them seem foreordained along a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/taking-ideas-seriously-does-not-fit-with-the-rhetorical-style-of/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Cherishing Columbus is a characteristic of white history, not American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/cherishing-columbus-is-a-characteristic-of-white-history-not-american/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [I often suggest in workshops that if you have 30 students in your American History course in 11th grade, or whatever grade level, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/i-often-suggest-in-workshops-that-if-you-have-30-students-in-your/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Unfortunately, marketing textbooks is like marketing fishing lures: the point is to catch fishermen, not fish. Thus many adopted textbooks are flashy to catch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/unfortunately-marketing-textbooks-is-like-marketing-fishing-lures-the/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [As a result of the sufferings and hard labor they endured, the Indians choose and have chosen suicide. Occasionally a hundred have committed mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/as-a-result-of-the-sufferings-and-hard-labor-they-endured-the-indians/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [I think the first important thing is that usually most textbooks are not written by their authors. And so by author I mean the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/i-think-the-first-important-thing-is-that-usually-most-textbooks-are/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Teachers need to teach the subject rather than to teach the textbook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/teachers-need-to-teach-the-subject-rather-than-to-teach-the-textbook/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [“No matter how thoroughly Native Americans acculturated, they could not succeed in white society. Whites would not let them. "Indians were always regarded as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/no-matter-how-thoroughly-native-americans-acculturated-they-could-not/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [“We seem to feel that a person like Helen Keller can be an inspiration only so long as she remains uncontroversial, one-dimensional. We don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/we-seem-to-feel-that-a-person-like-helen-keller-can-be-an-inspiration/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Nobody would ever want to read a textbook about the Civil War and then interrupt that for two pages about water rights in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/nobody-would-ever-want-to-read-a-textbook-about-the-civil-war-and/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [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/) > [“Students exit history textbooks without having developed the ability to think coherently about social life. Even”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/students-exit-history-textbooks-without-having-developed-the-ability/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [History can be a weapon, and it can be used against you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/history-can-be-a-weapon-and-it-can-be-used-against-you/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) [Explore all 54 James W. 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