--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What makes a good writer of history is a…" description: "\"What makes a good writer of history is a guy who is suspicious. Suspicion marks the real difference between the man who wants to write honest history a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/jim-bishop-21544_differences_what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a_106901.png" --- # What makes a good writer of history is a guy who is… ![“What makes a good writer of history is a guy who is suspicious. Suspicion marks the real difference between the man who wants to write honest history and the one who'd rather write a good story.” quote by Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/jim-bishop-21544_differences_what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a_106901.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/jim-bishop-21544_differences_what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a_106901.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/jim-bishop-21544_differences_what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a_106901.png) > “What makes a good writer of history is a guy who is suspicious. Suspicion marks the real difference between the man who wants to write honest history and the one who'd rather write a good story.” [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good historical writing requires skepticism; it distinguishes honest scholarship from storytelling that prioritizes narrative appeal over truth. **In simple terms:** Skepticism separates fact from fiction. Key Takeaway Truthful history demands critical doubt. Themes historical methodology skepticism truth vs. narrative Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical observation advice When to use this quote - academic research - documentary filmmaking - journalistic reporting Key Concepts critical inquiry epistemic humility Practical Applications - Teach source evaluation in history curricula - Encourage fact‑checking in media production Questions to Reflect On - When does healthy doubt become counterproductive? - How can writers balance skepticism with narrative engagement? A Different Perspective Excessive suspicion can lead to cynicism, dismissing genuine evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Good story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-story/) [Good writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writer/) [Good writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writers/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-write-1026199/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-history-737685/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Suspicion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicion/) [Suspicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicious/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Write Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-honest-358630/) [Writer History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-history-238730/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [A good writer of history is a guy who is suspicious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/a-good-writer-of-history-is-a-guy-who-is-suspicious/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [You don't have to be a good person to be a good writer--history shows it's better if you're not--but you have to understand your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-abrahams/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-good-person-to-be-a-good-writer-history-shows/) [Peter Abrahams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-abrahams/) > [Honest history is the weapon of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/honest-history-is-the-weapon-of-freedom/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [You can't be a good writer without being a good thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/you-can-t-be-a-good-writer-without-being-a-good-thinker/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Get up from your desk and wander outside occasionally. To be a good writer one needs to be a good observer, and there isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-yolen/get-up-from-your-desk-and-wander-outside-occasionally-to-be-a-good/) [Jane Yolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-yolen/) > [A good creative-writing teacher can save a good writer a lot of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/a-good-creative-writing-teacher-can-save-a-good-writer-a-lot-of-time/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [A good writer can set a thriller anywhere and make it convincing: the trick is to evoke the setting in such a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-disher/a-good-writer-can-set-a-thriller-anywhere-and-make-it-convincing-the/) [Garry Disher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-disher/) > [Every good writer has much idiom; it is the life and spirit of language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/every-good-writer-has-much-idiom-it-is-the-life-and-spirit-of-language/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [Intelligence alone can't make a good writer and style alone can't make a good writer - that is, not a really important or significant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/intelligence-alone-can-t-make-a-good-writer-and-style-alone-can-t/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [A good writer does not write as people write, but as he writes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-de-montesquieu/a-good-writer-does-not-write-as-people-write-but-as-he-writes/) [Baron de Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-de-montesquieu/) > [A good writer is an expert on nothing except himself. And on that subject, if he is wise, he holds his tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/a-good-writer-is-an-expert-on-nothing-except-himself-and-on-that/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [The whole relationship between a writer's spiritual/emotional condition and the kind of wordstuff and form-making that's going on in his work is an interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/the-whole-relationship-between-a-writer-s-spiritual-emotional/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [A good writer is one you can read without breaking a sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-t-o-conner/a-good-writer-is-one-you-can-read-without-breaking-a-sweat/) [Patricia T. O'Conner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-t-o-conner/) > [If you're really a good writer and deserve that honored position, then by God, you'll write, and you'll be read, and you'll be produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-you-re-really-a-good-writer-and-deserve-that-honored-position-then/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I think I'm a good writer. I think I have my own voice, which is unique to everyone - everyone has their own voice;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-holofcener/i-think-i-m-a-good-writer-i-think-i-have-my-own-voice-which-is-unique/) [Nicole Holofcener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-holofcener/) ## More by Jim Bishop > [It is impossible to read for pleasure from something to which you are both father and mother, born in such travail that the writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/it-is-impossible-to-read-for-pleasure-from-something-to-which-you-are/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [At 19, everything is possible and tomorrow looks friendly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/at-19-everything-is-possible-and-tomorrow-looks-friendly/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [Golf is played by twenty million mature American men whose wives think they are out having fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/golf-is-played-by-twenty-million-mature-american-men-whose-wives/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [Death is as casual and often as unexpected as birth. It is as difficult to define grief as joy. Each is finite. Each will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/death-is-as-casual-and-often-as-unexpected-as-birth-it-is-as/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [Archaeology is the peeping Tom of the sciences. It is the sandbox of men who care not where they are going; they merely want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/archaeology-is-the-peeping-tom-of-the-sciences-it-is-the-sandbox-of/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [Gimme: an agreement between two losers who can't putt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/gimme-an-agreement-between-two-losers-who-can-t-putt/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [A reporter meets interesting people. If he endures, he will get to know princes and presidents, popes and paupers, prostitutes and panderers. And always,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/a-reporter-meets-interesting-people-if-he-endures-he-will-get-to-know/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [“A friend asked what he thought of marriage, and Lincoln said quietly: “My father always said, when you make a bad bargain, hug it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/a-friend-asked-what-he-thought-of-marriage-and-lincoln-said-quietly/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [Nothing is as far away as one minute ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/nothing-is-as-far-away-as-one-minute-ago/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [Mulligan: invented by an Irishman who wanted to hit one more twenty yard grounder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/mulligan-invented-by-an-irishman-who-wanted-to-hit-one-more-twenty/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [True love is night jasmine, a diamond in darkness, the heartbeat no cardiologist has ever heard. It is the most common of miracles, fashioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/true-love-is-night-jasmine-a-diamond-in-darkness-the-heartbeat-no/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [When you read about a car crash in which two or three youngsters are killed, do you pause to dwell on the amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/when-you-read-about-a-car-crash-in-which-two-or-three-youngsters-are/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [I can look at my books with pleasure from a distance. Four feet is close enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/i-can-look-at-my-books-with-pleasure-from-a-distance-four-feet-is/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future, and impossible to live in the past. Nothing is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/it-is-difficult-to-live-in-the-present-ridiculous-to-live-in-the/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [Raising a child is very much like building a skyscraper. If the first few stories are slightly out of line. no one will notice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/raising-a-child-is-very-much-like-building-a-skyscraper-if-the-first/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) [Explore all 29 Jim Bishop quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) ## More Differences quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Shortly after I turned 50, both Ted Turner and the AARP came into my life. The only difference? With AARP, there were benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/shortly-after-i-turned-50-both-ted-turner-and-the-aarp-came-into-my/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [There are those who open their hearts to others...who never think twice about giving of themselves. They are the wonderful warmhearted people who make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilda-radner/there-are-those-who-open-their-hearts-to-others-who-never-think-twice/) [Gilda Radner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilda-radner/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [When the President starts talking about something, it makes a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/when-the-president-starts-talking-about-something-it-makes-a/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [In a world shaped and colored more and more by politicians, the nations meet politically, and hardly any other way to settle their differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/in-a-world-shaped-and-colored-more-and-more-by-politicians-the/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) [Browse all 8,110 Differences quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What makes a good writer of history is a guy who is suspicious. Suspicion marks the real difference between the man who wants to write honest history and the one who'd rather write a good story.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jim Bishop" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a-guy-who-is-suspicious/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Differences" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a-guy-who-is-suspicious/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/jim-bishop-21544_differences_what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a_106901.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/jim-bishop-21544_differences_what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a_106901.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/jim-bishop-21544_differences_what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a_106901.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What makes a good writer of history is a guy who is suspicious. Suspicion marks the real difference between…” — Jim Bishop", "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": "Jim Bishop", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What makes a good writer of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a-guy-who-is-suspicious/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a-guy-who-is-suspicious/#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 } } ] } ```