--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I learned a history not then written in…" description: "\"I learned a history not then written in books but one passed from generation to generation on the steps of moonlit porches and beside dying fires in on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/mildred-d-taylor-21411_book_i-learned-a-history-not-then-written-in_2489341.jpg" --- # I learned a history not then written in books but one… ![“I learned a history not then written in books but one passed from generation to generation on the steps of moonlit porches and beside dying fires in one-room houses, a history of great-grandparents and of slavery and of the days following slavery; of those who lived still not free, yet who would…” quote by Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/mildred-d-taylor-21411_book_i-learned-a-history-not-then-written-in_2489341.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/mildred-d-taylor-21411_book_i-learned-a-history-not-then-written-in_2489341.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/mildred-d-taylor-21411_book_i-learned-a-history-not-then-written-in_2489341.jpg) > “I learned a history not then written in books but one passed from generation to generation on the steps of moonlit porches and beside dying fires in one-room houses, a history of great-grandparents and of slavery and of the days following slavery; of those who lived still not free, yet who would not let their spirits be enslaved.” [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) ## 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 passed orally through stories told on porches and by fires, preserving the experiences of ancestors, especially those who endured slavery and its aftermath. **In simple terms:** Stories keep history alive beyond books. Key Takeaway Listen to elders and share their stories. Themes heritage memory resilience Mood reflective somber Type narrative educational When to use this quote - family gatherings - community events - educational programs - cultural preservation Key Concepts oral tradition intergenerational trauma freedom identity Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can you learn from your ancestors’ stories? - How does sharing history shape community identity? A Different Perspective Oral histories may be incomplete or biased. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Following](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following/) [Following Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following-slavery-947700/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Grandparent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandparent/) [Grandparents Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandparents-slavery-947701/) [Great grandparents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-grandparents/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-written/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Learned History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned-history-827327/) [Porch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/porch/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slavery Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery-lived-947699/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) ## Related quotes > [We have learned that history is something that takes no notice whatever of our expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-spengler/we-have-learned-that-history-is-something-that-takes-no-notice/) [Oswald Spengler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-spengler/) > [“There are lessons to be learned from history — but generally those lessons are only known to those who read books, not to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dunning/there-are-lessons-to-be-learned-from-history-but-generally-those/) [Brian Dunning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dunning/) > [ \[Judge and Jury\] is outstanding. I have learned more about the history of baseball, true history, than from anything I have ever read or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-kiner/judge-and-jury-is-outstanding-i-have-learned-more-about-the-history/) [Ralph Kiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-kiner/) > [Yes, I learned history at school; I know everything about apartheid. My dad, he bought the books about it, stuff like that. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caster-semenya/yes-i-learned-history-at-school-i-know-everything-about-apartheid-my/) [Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/) > [There is nothing to be learned from history anymore. 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There is nothing that history can tell you about what we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/all-you-have-learned-from-history-is-old-ways-of-making-mistakes/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [What experience and history teaches us is that people and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/what-experience-and-history-teaches-us-is-that-people-and-governments/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [I learned more about history and literature in the used bookstores in DC than in college libraries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-brinkley/i-learned-more-about-history-and-literature-in-the-used-bookstores-in/) [Douglas Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-brinkley/) > [“I am both a realist and a student of History. Mankind has never learned from History.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-de-montebello/i-am-both-a-realist-and-a-student-of-history-mankind-has-never/) [Philippe de Montebello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-de-montebello/) > [As a young child, it became crystal clear to me that there were certain rights and privileges that other people had that my mother,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/as-a-young-child-it-became-crystal-clear-to-me-that-there-were/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/what-children-need-most-are-the-essentials-that-grandparents-provide/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [“I’m world famous. Throughout the globe—north, south, east, and west—there are literally four people who know my name. It’s great to have all four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-world-famous-throughout-the-globe-north-south-east-and-west-there/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“I tell my seven-year-old son about his remarkable forefathers. I leave out the bloody details. (For him these people are like knights, which sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-p-tzsch/i-tell-my-seven-year-old-son-about-his-remarkable-forefathers-i-leave/) [Oliver Pötzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-p-tzsch/) > [It is so important that British children are taught about the World Wars that their great grandparents fought in and lived through. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-lynn/it-is-so-important-that-british-children-are-taught-about-the-world/) [Vera Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-lynn/) ## More by Mildred D. Taylor > [“did not blame others for his own stupidity; he learned from his mistake and became stronger for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/did-not-blame-others-for-his-own-stupidity-he-learned-from-his/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [“Little Man turned around and watched saucer-eyed as a bus bore down on him spewing clouds of red dust like a huge yellow dragon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/little-man-turned-around-and-watched-saucer-eyed-as-a-bus-bore-down/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [“Because the students were needed in the fields from early spring when the cotton was planted until after most of the cotton had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/because-the-students-were-needed-in-the-fields-from-early-spring-when/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [We ain't never gonna lose this land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/we-ain-t-never-gonna-lose-this-land/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [“I ain’t saying you can’t do it, Moe. Papa say you can do jus’ ’bout anything you set your mind to do, you work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/i-ain-t-saying-you-can-t-do-it-moe-papa-say-you-can-do-jus-bout/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [Baby, we have no choice of what color we're born or who our parents are or whether we're rich or poor. What we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/baby-we-have-no-choice-of-what-color-we-re-born-or-who-our-parents/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [Far as I'm concerned, friendship between black and white don't mean that much 'cause it usually ain't on a equal basis. ... Maybe one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/far-as-i-m-concerned-friendship-between-black-and-white-don-t-mean/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [I'm a Southerner, born and bred, but that doesn't mean I approve of all that goes on here, and there are a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/i-m-a-southerner-born-and-bred-but-that-doesn-t-mean-i-approve-of-all/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [We Logans don't have much to do with white folks. You know why? 'Cause white folks mean trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/we-logans-don-t-have-much-to-do-with-white-folks-you-know-why-cause/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [Although there are those who wish to ban my books because I have used language that is painful, I have chosen to use the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/although-there-are-those-who-wish-to-ban-my-books-because-i-have-used/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [“Big Ma didn't need to say any more and she didn't. T.J. was far from her favorite person and it was quite obvious that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/big-ma-didn-t-need-to-say-any-more-and-she-didn-t-t-j-was-far-from/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [There are things you can't back down on, things you gotta take a stand on. But it's up to you to decide what them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/there-are-things-you-can-t-back-down-on-things-you-gotta-take-a-stand/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [“He was often ridiculed by the other children at his school and had shown up more than once with wide red welts on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/he-was-often-ridiculed-by-the-other-children-at-his-school-and-had/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [“Each second that goes by, we're all one second closer to the rest of our lives and our deaths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/each-second-that-goes-by-we-re-all-one-second-closer-to-the-rest-of/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) > [“It's tough out there, boy, and as long as there are people, there's gonna be somebody trying to take what you got and trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-d-taylor/it-s-tough-out-there-boy-and-as-long-as-there-are-people-there-s/) [Mildred D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) [Explore all 29 Mildred D. Taylor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-d-taylor/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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