--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He does not know that the ultimate truth…" description: "\"“He does not know that the ultimate truth is that history ought to consist only of the anecdotes of the little people who are caught up in it.”\" — Loui..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/louis-de-bernieres-5492_anecdotes_he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth_2662800.png" --- # He does not know that the ultimate truth is that history… ![“He does not know that the ultimate truth is that history ought to consist only of the anecdotes of the little people who are caught up in it.” quote by Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/louis-de-bernieres-5492_anecdotes_he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth_2662800.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/louis-de-bernieres-5492_anecdotes_he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth_2662800.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/louis-de-bernieres-5492_anecdotes_he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth_2662800.png) > ““He does not know that the ultimate truth is that history ought to consist only of the anecdotes of the little people who are caught up in it.”” [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History is shaped by ordinary people’s stories, not grand narratives. **In simple terms:** Every history is made of many small lives. Key Takeaway Pay attention to everyday voices. Themes history people anecdotes Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - documentary filmmaking - oral history projects - teaching history - community storytelling Key Concepts social narrative microhistory Questions to Reflect On - Whose stories are left out? - How do personal tales alter our view of history? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on anecdotes may ignore systemic forces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anecdotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdotes/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Ultimate truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate-truth/) ## Related quotes > [For words are magical formulae. They leave finger marks be hind on the brain, which in the twinkling of an eye become the footprints…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/for-words-are-magical-formulae-they-leave-finger-marks-be-hind-on-the/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [I believe that history might be, and ought to be, taught in a new fashion so as to make the meaning of it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/i-believe-that-history-might-be-and-ought-to-be-taught-in-a-new/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [“To me, history ought to be a source of pleasure. It isn't just part of our civic responsibility. To me, it's an enlargement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacid-mccullough/to-me-history-ought-to-be-a-source-of-pleasure-it-isn-t-just-part-of-3/) Dacid McCullough > [You have reckoned that history ought to judge the past and to instruct the contemporary world as to the future. The present attempt does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-von-ranke/you-have-reckoned-that-history-ought-to-judge-the-past-and-to/) [Leopold von Ranke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-von-ranke/) > [“To me, history ought to be a source of pleasure. It isn't just part of our civic responsibility. To me, it's an enlargement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/to-me-history-ought-to-be-a-source-of-pleasure-it-isn-t-just-part-of/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [To me history ought to be a source of pleasure. It isn't just part of our civic responsibility. To me it's an enlargement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/to-me-history-ought-to-be-a-source-of-pleasure-it-isn-t-just-part-of-2/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/poetry-is-nearer-to-vital-truth-than-history/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“Faithfulness to the truth of history involves far more than research, however patient and scrupulous, into special facts. The narrator must seek to imbue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-parkman/faithfulness-to-the-truth-of-history-involves-far-more-than-research/) [Francis Parkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-parkman/) > [To hell with the truth! As the history of the world proves, the truth has no bearing on anything. It's irrelevant and immaterial, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/to-hell-with-the-truth-as-the-history-of-the-world-proves-the-truth/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“Is it true that man was once perfectly pure and innocent, and that he became degenerate by disobedience? No. The real truth is, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/is-it-true-that-man-was-once-perfectly-pure-and-innocent-and-that-he/) [Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/) > [The truth of history crowds out the truth of fiction - as if one were obliged to choose between them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-truth-of-history-crowds-out-the-truth-of-fiction-as-if-one-were/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“The truth of history lies simultaneously in the substratum of created existence (since all beings are the willed realizations of God's love); in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-zizoulas/the-truth-of-history-lies-simultaneously-in-the-substratum-of-created/) John D. Zizoulas > [The truth is very important. No matter how negative it is, it is imperative that you learn the truth, not necessarily the facts. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-truth-is-very-important-no-matter-how-negative-it-is-it-is/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“The received truth of history is shot through and falsified by unknown secrets carried to the grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-banks/the-received-truth-of-history-is-shot-through-and-falsified-by/) [Russell Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-banks/) > [The truth was, history repeated itself on a daily basis; mistakes were made over and over. People were haunted by what they had done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-truth-was-history-repeated-itself-on-a-daily-basis-mistakes-were/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Louis de Bernières > [Family law is institutionally anti-male. I've been lobbying MPs, and I'm not going to give up campaigning for equality until I get equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/family-law-is-institutionally-anti-male-i-ve-been-lobbying-mps-and-i/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“The dead can read tears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/the-dead-can-read-tears/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [...but then the general trouble with ignorance is always that the ignorant person has no idea that that's what they are. You can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/but-then-the-general-trouble-with-ignorance-is-always-that-the/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [Love delayed is lust augmented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/love-delayed-is-lust-augmented/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [No man is a man until he has been a soldier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/no-man-is-a-man-until-he-has-been-a-soldier/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [Did you know that childhood is the only time in our lives when insanity is not only permitted to us, but expected?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/did-you-know-that-childhood-is-the-only-time-in-our-lives-when/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [God is an oppressor, He is incapable of human sympathy; behind a smiling face He hides an evil heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/god-is-an-oppressor-he-is-incapable-of-human-sympathy-behind-a/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [Your lips are like sugar And your cheeks an apple Your breasts are paradise And your body a lily. O, to kiss the sugar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/your-lips-are-like-sugar-and-your-cheeks-an-apple-your-breasts-are/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/when-you-fall-in-love-it-is-a-temporary-madness-it-erupts-like-an/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [The De Bernieres were very military. I broke the military tradition but I was terribly proud of my father being a soldier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/the-de-bernieres-were-very-military-i-broke-the-military-tradition/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [We should care for each other more than we care for ideas, or else we will end up killing each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/we-should-care-for-each-other-more-than-we-care-for-ideas-or-else-we/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“Pelagia put her hands on her hips, taking advantage of the superiority implicit in the fact that she was standing and he lying down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/pelagia-put-her-hands-on-her-hips-taking-advantage-of-the-superiority/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“There comes a point in life where each one of us who survives begins to feel like a ghost that has forgotten to die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/there-comes-a-point-in-life-where-each-one-of-us-who-survives-begins/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“Men are sometimes driven by things that to a women make no sense, but she did know that Corelli had to be with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/men-are-sometimes-driven-by-things-that-to-a-women-make-no-sense-but/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“All their lovers' talk began with the phrase "After the war". After the war, when we're married, shall we live in Italy? There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/all-their-lovers-talk-began-with-the-phrase-after-the-war-after-the/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) [Explore all 99 Louis de Bernières quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) ## More Anecdotes quotes > [“There was a skill to organizing your life into neatly bundled anecdotes, and he lacked it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-sakey/there-was-a-skill-to-organizing-your-life-into-neatly-bundled/) [Marcus Sakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-sakey/) > [Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/art-to-me-is-an-anecdote-of-the-spirit/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [There comes a point where certain things are becoming my Achilles heel; you know when you start repeating yourself and saying the same anecdotes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-elson/there-comes-a-point-where-certain-things-are-becoming-my-achilles/) [Karen Elson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-elson/) > [Why should I ever get fed up talking about my father? He was a brilliant, colorful man who left us with thousands of memories.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-huston/why-should-i-ever-get-fed-up-talking-about-my-father-he-was-a/) [Danny Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-huston/) > [If you would stick to the concrete, and put your discoveries in the form of entertaining anecdotes about your adventures with women, your conversation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-you-would-stick-to-the-concrete-and-put-your-discoveries-in-the/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Painters were also attorneys, happy storytellers of anecdote, psychologists, botanists, zoologists, archaeologists, engineers, but there were no creative painters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazimir-malevich/painters-were-also-attorneys-happy-storytellers-of-anecdote/) [Kazimir Malevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazimir-malevich/) > [Art isn't anecdote. It's the consciousness we bring to bear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/art-isn-t-anecdote-it-s-the-consciousness-we-bring-to-bear-in-our/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Something about the possession of a book - an object that can contain infinite fables, words of wisdom, chronicles of times gone by, humorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/something-about-the-possession-of-a-book-an-object-that-can-contain/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [Men grind and grind in the mill of a truism, and nothing comes out but what was put in. But the moment they desert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/men-grind-and-grind-in-the-mill-of-a-truism-and-nothing-comes-out-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Anecdote: The extent of Michael Jackson's fame at its height, and his eagerness to exploit it is shown by an incident in 1984 when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/anecdote-the-extent-of-michael-jackson-s-fame-at-its-height-and-his/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [I don't have a lot of thrilling anecdotes about my career or personal life. All the stuff that is interesting is private and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-don-t-have-a-lot-of-thrilling-anecdotes-about-my-career-or-personal/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [Life divides into amazing enjoyable times and appalling experiences that will make future amazing anecdotes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/life-divides-into-amazing-enjoyable-times-and-appalling-experiences/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I write and write and write, and then I edit it down to the parts that I think are amusing, or that help the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/i-write-and-write-and-write-and-then-i-edit-it-down-to-the-parts-that/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [If you notice phrases, ideas, and anecdotes that closely resemble those that appear elsewhere in my writing, it's not a matter of sloppy editing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/if-you-notice-phrases-ideas-and-anecdotes-that-closely-resemble-those/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [At the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, Sanford Meisner said, 'When you go into the professional world, at a stock theatre somewhere, backstage, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/at-the-neighborhood-playhouse-school-of-theatre-sanford-meisner-said/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) [Browse all 180 Anecdotes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdotes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He does not know that the ultimate truth is that history ought to consist only of the anecdotes of the little people who are caught up in it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louis de Bernières" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth-is-that-history-ought-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anecdotes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth-is-that-history-ought-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/louis-de-bernieres-5492_anecdotes_he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth_2662800.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/louis-de-bernieres-5492_anecdotes_he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth_2662800.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/louis-de-bernieres-5492_anecdotes_he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth_2662800.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He does not know that the ultimate truth is that history ought to consist only of the anecdotes of the…” — Louis de Bernières", "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": "Louis de Bernières", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He does not know that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth-is-that-history-ought-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/he-does-not-know-that-the-ultimate-truth-is-that-history-ought-to/#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 } } ] } ```