--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To live without history is to live like…" description: "\"To live without history is to live like an infant, constantly amazed and challenged by a strange and unnamed world.\" — Joan Nestle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/joan-nestle-44413_amazed_to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like_1541531.jpg" --- # To live without history is to live like an infant… ![“To live without history is to live like an infant, constantly amazed and challenged by a strange and unnamed world.” quote by Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/joan-nestle-44413_amazed_to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like_1541531.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/joan-nestle-44413_amazed_to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like_1541531.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/joan-nestle-44413_amazed_to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like_1541531.jpg) > “To live without history is to live like an infant, constantly amazed and challenged by a strange and unnamed world.” [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living without knowledge of the past leaves one vulnerable and uninformed, like an infant encountering an unknown world. **In simple terms:** Ignorance of history makes life confusing and risky. Key Takeaway Learn history to navigate life confidently. Themes history knowledge growth vulnerability Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - policy making - personal reflection - social activism Key Concepts historical awareness personal development cultural identity Questions to Reflect On - What lessons from history guide your choices? - How does historical ignorance affect society? A Different Perspective History can be interpreted subjectively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-history/) ## Related quotes > [“History in live performance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/history-in-live-performance/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [They who live in history only seemed to walk the earth again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/they-who-live-in-history-only-seemed-to-walk-the-earth-again/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“The ages live in history through their anachronisms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-ages-live-in-history-through-their-anachronisms/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Each person, as they live through history, can't see it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/each-person-as-they-live-through-history-can-t-see-it-all/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [You can't live in history. You've got to build for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruud-gullit/you-can-t-live-in-history-you-ve-got-to-build-for-the-future/) [Ruud Gullit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruud-gullit/) > [One should live with history round one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-penderecki/one-should-live-with-history-round-one/) [Krzysztof Penderecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-penderecki/) > [Institutions do live on their history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/institutions-do-live-on-their-history/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [I am so constantly amazed by people's care and love for Cristina Yang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-oh/i-am-so-constantly-amazed-by-people-s-care-and-love-for-cristina-yang/) [Sandra Oh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-oh/) > [Music videos are like girlfriends. I'm constantly amazed on what other people doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee-roth/music-videos-are-like-girlfriends-i-m-constantly-amazed-on-what-other/) [David Lee Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee-roth/) > [“I am constantly amazed by how much stranger science is than science fiction”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-chown/i-am-constantly-amazed-by-how-much-stranger-science-is-than-science/) [Marcus Chown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-chown/) > [I am constantly amazed by man's inhumanity to man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/i-am-constantly-amazed-by-man-s-inhumanity-to-man/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [I am constantly amazed by Tina Fey. And I am Tina Fey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-am-constantly-amazed-by-tina-fey-and-i-am-tina-fey/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Be infinitely flexible and constantly amazed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-infinitely-flexible-and-constantly-amazed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am constantly amazed at the musicians that are able to do the same thing over and over for 20 or more years. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-patton/i-am-constantly-amazed-at-the-musicians-that-are-able-to-do-the-same/) [Mike Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-patton/) > [I am constantly amazed at their support over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/i-am-constantly-amazed-at-their-support-over-the-years/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) ## More by Joan Nestle > [“History is not a dead thing or a sure thing. It lived with our choices and our dreams. It is the story of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/history-is-not-a-dead-thing-or-a-sure-thing-it-lived-with-our-choices/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) > [“One of the lessons I have learned in trying to live with history is that for every repression, we have found a suitable form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/one-of-the-lessons-i-have-learned-in-trying-to-live-with-history-is/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) > [“After a year and a half my therapist retired, so I was bounced to someone else-a woman. Shazam! I suddenly felt I could open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/after-a-year-and-a-half-my-therapist-retired-so-i-was-bounced-to/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) > [I cannot understand a society that is more afraid of a man in a dress than a man in a soldier’s uniform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/i-cannot-understand-a-society-that-is-more-afraid-of-a-man-in-a-dress/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) > [Flamboyance and fortitude, femme and butch-not poses, not stereotypes, but a dance between two different kinds of women, one beckoning the other into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/flamboyance-and-fortitude-femme-and-butch-not-poses-not-stereotypes/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) > [“We must stand together, realizing the complexity of our histories, both personal and social, choosing when we can tolerate each other’s company and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/we-must-stand-together-realizing-the-complexity-of-our-histories-both/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) > [As a woman, as a lesbian, as a Jew, much of what I call history, others will not. But answering that challenge of exclusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/as-a-woman-as-a-lesbian-as-a-jew-much-of-what-i-call-history-others/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) > [“My Lesbian history tells me that the vice squad is never our friend even when it is called in by women; that when police…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/my-lesbian-history-tells-me-that-the-vice-squad-is-never-our-friend/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) [Explore all 9 Joan Nestle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) ## More Amazed quotes > [You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/you-will-never-cease-to-be-the-most-amazed-person-on-earth-at-what/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [You'd be amazed at pain and tears a single smile hides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-vasquez/you-d-be-amazed-at-pain-and-tears-a-single-smile-hides/) [Christian Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-vasquez/) > [“I am amazed at how being with him changes everything for me, socially speaking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/i-am-amazed-at-how-being-with-him-changes-everything-for-me-socially/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [I'm endlessly amazed by what people are capable of, and incapable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-m-endlessly-amazed-by-what-people-are-capable-of-and-incapable-of/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [Souls love. That’s what souls do. Egos don’t, but souls do. Become a soul, look around, and you’ll be amazed-all the beings around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/souls-love-that-s-what-souls-do-egos-don-t-but-souls-do-become-a-soul/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Contrary to a common myth, while there are general guidelines, there is no exact 'right' way to run ... I am amazed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grete-waitz/contrary-to-a-common-myth-while-there-are-general-guidelines-there-is/) [Grete Waitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grete-waitz/) > [I'm always amazed by writers who tell me they plan everything at the beginning. I feel their writing days must be very bland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/i-m-always-amazed-by-writers-who-tell-me-they-plan-everything-at-the/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [What I am telling you is that you do not need to know to love, and it is right that you feel it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-am-telling-you-is-that-you-do-not-need-to-know-to-love-and-it/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [My father was truly a great man. I remember one day putting my feet in my father's shoes. I was amazed at the size.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/my-father-was-truly-a-great-man-i-remember-one-day-putting-my-feet-in/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [J. Budziszewski is perhaps the clearest and most eloquent natural lawyer writing today. When reading his works I often find myself amazed by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-j-beckwith/j-budziszewski-is-perhaps-the-clearest-and-most-eloquent-natural/) [Francis J. Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-j-beckwith/) > [I've never ceased to be amazed at the survival skills of poor children. I've learned how much children can actually do for themselves if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-pearson/i-ve-never-ceased-to-be-amazed-at-the-survival-skills-of-poor/) Landon Pearson > [Mystical experiences (unlike scientific conclusions) cannot be communicated from one person to another. Philosophers and little children are continually amazed that we, unaccountably, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/mystical-experiences-unlike-scientific-conclusions-cannot-be/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host but the two or three people of whom I asked his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/as-soon-as-i-arrived-i-made-an-attempt-to-find-my-host-but-the-two-or/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I don't know why, but I'm continually amazed to think that two and a half billion of us around the world are connected to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kovacs/i-don-t-know-why-but-i-m-continually-amazed-to-think-that-two-and-a/) [Gary Kovacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kovacs/) > [The key to contentment is to consider. Consider who you are and be satisfied with that. Consider what you have and be satisfied with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luci-swindoll/the-key-to-contentment-is-to-consider-consider-who-you-are-and-be/) [Luci Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luci-swindoll/) Browse all 776 Amazed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To live without history is to live like an infant, constantly amazed and challenged by a strange and unnamed world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Nestle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like-an-infant-constantly-amazed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amazed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like-an-infant-constantly-amazed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/joan-nestle-44413_amazed_to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like_1541531.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/joan-nestle-44413_amazed_to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like_1541531.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/joan-nestle-44413_amazed_to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like_1541531.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To live without history is to live like an infant, constantly amazed and challenged by a strange and unnamed…” — Joan Nestle", "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": "Joan Nestle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To live without history is to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like-an-infant-constantly-amazed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/to-live-without-history-is-to-live-like-an-infant-constantly-amazed/#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 } } ] } ```