---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When history is erased, people's moral…"
description: "\"When history is erased, people's moral values are also erased.\" — Ma Jian"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/ma-jian-14632_character_when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-va_2870936.png"
---

#  When history is erased, people's moral values are also…

![“When history is erased, people's moral values are also erased.” quote by Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/ma-jian-14632_character_when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-va_2870936.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/ma-jian-14632_character_when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-va_2870936.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/ma-jian-14632_character_when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-va_2870936.png)

> “When history is erased, people's moral values are also erased.”

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Erasing history removes the moral compass that guides society.

**In simple terms:** Losing history erodes morals.

Key Takeaway

Preserve memory, uphold values.

Themes

history morality memory culture society

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- education curricula
- public memorials
- family storytelling

Key Concepts

ethical philosophy collective memory identity

Questions to Reflect On

- What histories are being forgotten?
- How does memory shape ethics?

A Different Perspective

People may resist confronting uncomfortable pasts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Erased People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erased-people-803608/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Erased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-erased-818025/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-values/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-moral-331084/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Values Erased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values-erased-3926637/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't think I will ever be erased from people's memory as I like to believe the work I do leaves an impact on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-kulkarni/i-don-t-think-i-will-ever-be-erased-from-people-s-memory-as-i-like-to/)

[Atul Kulkarni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-kulkarni/)

> [I think, like most people, my moral values tend to be pretty fuzzy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-jagger/i-think-like-most-people-my-moral-values-tend-to-be-pretty-fuzzy/)

[Mick Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-jagger/)

> [Hypocrisy is a value that I think has been embraced by the Republican Party. We get lectured by people all day long about moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/hypocrisy-is-a-value-that-i-think-has-been-embraced-by-the-republican/)

[Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/)

> [History will be erased in the universal purgatory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/history-will-be-erased-in-the-universal-purgatory/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [“History cannot be erased or altered.Because that would mean killing yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/history-cannot-be-erased-or-altered-because-that-would-mean-killing/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Our family history was erased and rewritten a thousand times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/our-family-history-was-erased-and-rewritten-a-thousand-times/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [Morality, like other inputs into the social process, follows the law of diminishing returns- meaning ultimately, negative returns. People can be too moral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/morality-like-other-inputs-into-the-social-process-follows-the-law-of/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Conservatives say the government can't end poverty by force, but they believe it can use force to make people moral. Liberals say government can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/conservatives-say-the-government-can-t-end-poverty-by-force-but-they/)

[Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/)

> [For me, human rights simply endorse a view of life and a set of moral values that are perfectly clear to an eight-year-old child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-me-human-rights-simply-endorse-a-view-of-life-and-a-set-of-moral/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [No one is born with good character; it's not a hereditary trait. And it isn't determined by a single noble act. Character is established…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/no-one-is-born-with-good-character-it-s-not-a-hereditary-trait-and-it/)

[Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/)

> [As a club, we have an educational purpose: to give back to those people who love Arsenal so that they learn moral values from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsene-wenger/as-a-club-we-have-an-educational-purpose-to-give-back-to-those-people/)

[Arsene Wenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsene-wenger/)

> [The Internet is undermining moral values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/the-internet-is-undermining-moral-values/)

[Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/)

> [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [The family remains the basic unit of society and the first school in which children learn the human, spiritual and moral values which enable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-family-remains-the-basic-unit-of-society-and-the-first-school-in/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/)

[Kenan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenan-malik/)

## More by Ma Jian

> [Everything I was I carry with me, everything I will belies waiting on the road ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/everything-i-was-i-carry-with-me-everything-i-will-belies-waiting-on/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [I am trying to persuade my family to spend more time in China. It's no fun to be in exile. I can't even figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-am-trying-to-persuade-my-family-to-spend-more-time-in-china-it-s-no/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [“I see my skeleton walking down the street now. I’m walking behind it. Our feet touch the ground at the same time. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-see-my-skeleton-walking-down-the-street-now-i-m-walking-behind-it/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [Red Dust was about the late 1980s; it was a time of burgeoning hopes and opening up and people searching for new ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/red-dust-was-about-the-late-1980s-it-was-a-time-of-burgeoning-hopes/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [I meant that the Chinese people are not aware of their own entrapment. They believe they live in a free society, but don't realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-meant-that-the-chinese-people-are-not-aware-of-their-own-entrapment/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [I am completely in favour of dialogue and engagement. But it must be a true, open dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-am-completely-in-favour-of-dialogue-and-engagement-but-it-must-be-a/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [I have to live within my memories, within my private universe, and continually return to China, the land where my thoughts are locked. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-have-to-live-within-my-memories-within-my-private-universe-and/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [After the Tiananmen Massacre, I felt compelled not only to continue writing but to actively resist the restrictions placed on freedom of speech. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/after-the-tiananmen-massacre-i-felt-compelled-not-only-to-continue/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [The Beijing Olympics represent China's grand entrance onto the world stage and confirmation of its new superpower status.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/the-beijing-olympics-represent-china-s-grand-entrance-onto-the-world/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [China is completely lacking in self-awareness and as someone who has stepped outside that society, I have a responsibility to write about it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/china-is-completely-lacking-in-self-awareness-and-as-someone-who-has/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [“When our parents are alive, they stand in front of us, blocking our view of death. But once they’ve gone, we find ourselves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/when-our-parents-are-alive-they-stand-in-front-of-us-blocking-our/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [It is vitally important for me, both personally and for my writing, to be able to return to China freely, so being barred entry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/it-is-vitally-important-for-me-both-personally-and-for-my-writing-to/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [The literal meaning of the Chinese characters for revolution is elimination of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/the-literal-meaning-of-the-chinese-characters-for-revolution-is/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [“Before the sparrow arrived, you had almost stopped thinking about flight. Then, last winter, it soared through the sky and landed in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/before-the-sparrow-arrived-you-had-almost-stopped-thinking-about/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

> [In my 20s, when I was a photojournalist in Beijing. I joined an underground art group and put on clandestine exhibitions of my paintings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/in-my-20s-when-i-was-a-photojournalist-in-beijing-i-joined-an/)

[Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

[Explore all 46 Ma Jian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

[David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When history is erased, people's moral values are also erased.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ma Jian"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-values-are-also-erased/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-values-are-also-erased/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/ma-jian-14632_character_when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-va_2870936.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/ma-jian-14632_character_when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-va_2870936.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/ma-jian-14632_character_when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-va_2870936.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When history is erased, people's moral values are also erased.” — Ma Jian",
                "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": "Ma Jian",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When history is erased, people's moral...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-values-are-also-erased/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-values-are-also-erased/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
