--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is not a suicide note -- it is a…" description: "\"History is not a suicide note -- it is a record of our survival.\" — Jeanette Winterson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/jeanette-winterson-166_history_history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-re_1927220.png" --- # History is not a suicide note -- it is a record of our… ![“History is not a suicide note -- it is a record of our survival.” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/jeanette-winterson-166_history_history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-re_1927220.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/jeanette-winterson-166_history_history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-re_1927220.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/jeanette-winterson-166_history_history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-re_1927220.png) > “History is not a suicide note -- it is a record of our survival.” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History records humanity’s resilience, not its failures, showing how we survive despite hardships. **In simple terms:** History shows survival, not defeat. Key Takeaway Learn from past endurance. Themes history survival resilience Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - education - policy making - personal growth Key Concepts collective memory narrative truth Questions to Reflect On - What lessons of survival can you apply? - How does this view change your outlook on challenges? A Different Perspective Survival narratives can overlook systemic oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-suicide-2993608/) [Note Record](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/note-record-2993609/) [Notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notes/) [Record](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/record/) [Record Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/record-survival-2993607/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Suicide note](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide-note/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) ## Related quotes > [“I can't believe that we have reached the end of everything. The red dust is frightening. The carbon dioxide is real. 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My work is done why wait?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eastman/suicide-note-to-my-friends-my-work-is-done-why-wait/) [George Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eastman/) > [I can't relate to the idea of suicide. I guess I'm just one of those people that is always optimistic and upbeat. 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Chucking her under the chin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/dr-armonson-stitched-up-her-wrist-wounds-within-five-minutes-of-the/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“A follow-up letter is best when not written on the back of a suicide note. Remember this next time you’re at a networking event,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-follow-up-letter-is-best-when-not-written-on-the-back-of-a-suicide/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Clench clench these strong teeth in this strong mouth. My mouth. Of my body. In my house. My mouth? Chapped lips swollen and bloody?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camilla-gibb/clench-clench-these-strong-teeth-in-this-strong-mouth-my-mouth-of-my/) [Camilla Gibb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camilla-gibb/) ## More by Jeanette Winterson > [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. 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They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History is not a suicide note -- it is a record of our survival.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeanette Winterson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-record-of-our-survival/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-record-of-our-survival/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/jeanette-winterson-166_history_history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-re_1927220.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/jeanette-winterson-166_history_history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-re_1927220.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/jeanette-winterson-166_history_history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-re_1927220.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History is not a suicide note -- it is a record of our survival.” — Jeanette Winterson", "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": "Jeanette Winterson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "History is not a suicide note...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-record-of-our-survival/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/history-is-not-a-suicide-note-it-is-a-record-of-our-survival/#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 } } ] } ```