--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you'll excuse a brief history lesson…" description: "\"“If you'll excuse a brief history lesson: most people didn't experience 'the sixties' until the seventies. Which meant, logically, that most people in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7f/julian-barnes-522_history_if-you-ll-excuse-a-brief-history-lesson_95410.jpg" --- # If you'll excuse a brief history lesson: most people… ![“If you'll excuse a brief history lesson: most people didn't experience 'the sixties' until the seventies. Which meant, logically, that most people in the sixties were still experiencing the fifties--or, in my case, bits of both decades side by side. Which made things rather confusing.” quote by Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7f/julian-barnes-522_history_if-you-ll-excuse-a-brief-history-lesson_95410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7f/julian-barnes-522_history_if-you-ll-excuse-a-brief-history-lesson_95410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7f/julian-barnes-522_history_if-you-ll-excuse-a-brief-history-lesson_95410.jpg) > ““If you'll excuse a brief history lesson: most people didn't experience 'the sixties' until the seventies. Which meant, logically, that most people in the sixties were still experiencing the fifties--or, in my case, bits of both decades side by side. Which made things rather confusing.”” [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker notes that many people’s lived experience of the 1960s was delayed until the 1970s, causing a blend of cultural memories from both decades, which creates confusion about the era's identity. **In simple terms:** Cultural memory overlaps across decades. Key Takeaway Decades can merge in personal recollection. Themes historical perception cultural memory generational overlap social change Mood nostalgic reflective Type observational personal anecdote When to use this quote - discussing generational differences - teaching history - writing memoirs Key Concepts temporal perception collective memory Practical Applications - historical analysis - cultural criticism Questions to Reflect On - How does delayed experience shape our view of history? - What other eras might we misplace in memory? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Seventies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seventies/) [Side by side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/side-by-side/) [Sixties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sixties/) ## Related quotes > [Now, a lot of people are challenged by the fact that a record number of people in their sixties have living parents, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/now-a-lot-of-people-are-challenged-by-the-fact-that-a-record-number/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I do think that people who are now in their sixties and their seventies are living a different kind of life than their grandparents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-do-think-that-people-who-are-now-in-their-sixties-and-their/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“You may say, But wasn't this the Sixties? Yes, but only for some people, only in certain parts of the country.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-may-say-but-wasn-t-this-the-sixties-yes-but-only-for-some-people/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [The best and only authentic book written on the sixties underground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/the-best-and-only-authentic-book-written-on-the-sixties-underground/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Obviously, the Sixties was a time when everyone wanted to experiment, and then everything became very formulated and corporate, so artists tended to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/obviously-the-sixties-was-a-time-when-everyone-wanted-to-experiment/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [The Sixties was a time of breaking down class barriers, although I think class still exists today in some areas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bailey/the-sixties-was-a-time-of-breaking-down-class-barriers-although-i/) [David Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bailey/) > [I was involved in the Great Folk Music scare back in the sixties, when it almost caught on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/i-was-involved-in-the-great-folk-music-scare-back-in-the-sixties-when/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [After world war all we got was a lot of conformity, and conservatism and when I was in college at the university of Illinois…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/after-world-war-all-we-got-was-a-lot-of-conformity-and-conservatism/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [In the Sixties, it was mods and rockers, and hippies and casuals, whereas in the early Eighties, there was Goths, punks, mods, skinheads, New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-meadows/in-the-sixties-it-was-mods-and-rockers-and-hippies-and-casuals/) [Shane Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-meadows/) > [I've liked country music for forever. And Buck Owens is just one of many country guitarists I like. I think Buck's Sixties records are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-osborne/i-ve-liked-country-music-for-forever-and-buck-owens-is-just-one-of/) [Buzz Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-osborne/) > [Many things happened in the sixties, but the period is no more significant, better, or more 'political' than today. It's time to turn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/many-things-happened-in-the-sixties-but-the-period-is-no-more/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I was initially recruited while I was in business school back in the late sixties by the National Security Agency, the nation's largest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/i-was-initially-recruited-while-i-was-in-business-school-back-in-the/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [In the 60s there were a lot of things which were anarchistic. May-June '68 was riddled by anarchistic sentiments, dreams and ideals, but insofar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/in-the-60s-there-were-a-lot-of-things-which-were-anarchistic-may-june/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [I feel that if your soul was branded by the sixties, you never lost the brand. It's like going into a nightclub and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-feel-that-if-your-soul-was-branded-by-the-sixties-you-never-lost/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [There was a cultural war going on, the '60s was going on. All the film critics were square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/there-was-a-cultural-war-going-on-the-60s-was-going-on-all-the-film/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) ## More by Julian Barnes > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“I settled into a contented routine of working, spending my free time with Veronica and, back in my student room, wanking explosively to fantasies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-settled-into-a-contented-routine-of-working-spending-my-free-time/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [The greatest patriotism is to tell your country when it is behaving dishonorably, foolishly, viciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/the-greatest-patriotism-is-to-tell-your-country-when-it-is-behaving/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“There is only good vodka and very good vodka—there is no such thing as bad vodka.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/there-is-only-good-vodka-and-very-good-vodka-there-is-no-such-thing/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Alice Munro can move characters through time in a way that no other writer can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/alice-munro-can-move-characters-through-time-in-a-way-that-no-other/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [How rarely do our emotions meet the object they seem to deserve? How hopelessly we signal; how dark the sky; how big the waves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/how-rarely-do-our-emotions-meet-the-object-they-seem-to-deserve-how/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [You put together two people who have not been put together before. Sometimes it is like that first attempt to harness a hydrogen balloon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-people-who-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Also, when you are young, you think you can predict the likely pains and bleaknesses that age might bring. You imagine yourself being lonely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/also-when-you-are-young-you-think-you-can-predict-the-likely-pains/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Why slum it where people were burdened by yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that? By history? Here, on the Island,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/why-slum-it-where-people-were-burdened-by-yesterday-and-the-day/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“In those years before mobile phones, email and Skype, travelers depended on the rudimentary communications system known as the postcard. Other methods--the long-distance phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/in-those-years-before-mobile-phones-email-and-skype-travelers/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“My train was late, slowed by the usual Sunday engineering work. I got home in the early evening. I remember that I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/my-train-was-late-slowed-by-the-usual-sunday-engineering-work-i-got/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [In life, every ending is just the start of another story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/in-life-every-ending-is-just-the-start-of-another-story/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Indeed, isn’t the whole business of ascribing responsibility kind of a cop-out? We want to blame an individual so that everyone else is exculpated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/indeed-isn-t-the-whole-business-of-ascribing-responsibility-kind-of-a/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Some of the freckles I once loved are now closer to liver spots. But it’s still the eyes we look at, isn’t it? That’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/some-of-the-freckles-i-once-loved-are-now-closer-to-liver-spots-but/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“And what percentage of people take up the option to die off?’ She looked at me, her glance telling me to be calm. ‘Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/and-what-percentage-of-people-take-up-the-option-to-die-off-she/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) [Explore all 454 Julian Barnes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. 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 > [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": "“If you'll excuse a brief history lesson: most people didn't experience 'the sixties' until the seventies. 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