--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you really believe ... that everything…" description: "\"Do you really believe ... that everything historians tell us about men – or about women – is actually true? You ought to consider the fact that these h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/moderata-fonte-42110_accidents_do-you-really-believe-that-everything-hi_2283875.png" --- # Do you really believe ... that everything historians tell… ![“Do you really believe ... that everything historians tell us about men – or about women – is actually true? You ought to consider the fact that these histories have been written by men, who never tell the truth except by accident.” quote by Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/moderata-fonte-42110_accidents_do-you-really-believe-that-everything-hi_2283875.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/moderata-fonte-42110_accidents_do-you-really-believe-that-everything-hi_2283875.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/moderata-fonte-42110_accidents_do-you-really-believe-that-everything-hi_2283875.png) > “Do you really believe ... that everything historians tell us about men – or about women – is actually true? You ought to consider the fact that these histories have been written by men, who never tell the truth except by accident.” [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical narratives are biased, often reflecting the gender of their authors, so truth is filtered through perspective. **In simple terms:** History is shaped by who writes it. Key Takeaway Question the source of historical claims. Themes history gender bias Mood critical inquisitive Type analytical skeptical When to use this quote - academic research - education - media literacy - policy analysis Key Concepts feminist theory epistemology Questions to Reflect On - Whose voices are missing in this history? - How can we uncover hidden perspectives? A Different Perspective Even male authors can be honest; bias persists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Slander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slander/) [Stereotype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotype/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that historians and analysts of historical events need the authority of facts supplied by living witnesses to the events, which they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibrahim-babangida/i-believe-that-historians-and-analysts-of-historical-events-need-the/) [Ibrahim Babangida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibrahim-babangida/) > [You're not a historian, but most historians will tell you that they make very discrete judgment as to what facts to omit in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/you-re-not-a-historian-but-most-historians-will-tell-you-that-they/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [Historians tell the story of the past, novelists the story of the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/historians-tell-the-story-of-the-past-novelists-the-story-of-the/) [Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/) > [History isn't what happened, history is just what historians tell us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/history-isn-t-what-happened-history-is-just-what-historians-tell-us/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [I think it's unfortunate when people say that there is just one true story of science. For one thing, there are many different sciences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/i-think-it-s-unfortunate-when-people-say-that-there-is-just-one-true/) [Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/) > [Historians tell us that a gentleman named John Ball once captured eight British Amateur titles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/historians-tell-us-that-a-gentleman-named-john-ball-once-captured/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [The way we live history is not the way historians tell history. Our lives are messy and chaotic and bewildering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-way-we-live-history-is-not-the-way-historians-tell-history-our/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [I have a hard time with historians because they idolize the truth. The truth is not uplifting; it destroys. I could tell most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/i-have-a-hard-time-with-historians-because-they-idolize-the-truth-the/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [There's already a lot of self-exculpatory history being written. Right across the board. 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My friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/as-a-historian-i-understand-how-histories-are-written-my-enemies-will/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [“What are we if we are not products of our history? History is not in our past but forms us in the present. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-o-charles/what-are-we-if-we-are-not-products-of-our-history-history-is-not-in/) [H.O. Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-o-charles/) > [The only good histories are those that have been written by the persons themselves who commanded in the affairs whereof they write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-only-good-histories-are-those-that-have-been-written-by-the/) [Michel De Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Radical historians now the tell the story of Thanksgiving from the point of view of the turkey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/radical-historians-now-the-tell-the-story-of-thanksgiving-from-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## More by Moderata Fonte > ["But when you hear men talking," said Cornelia, "all they ever do is speak ill of women. 'And I don't quite know how they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/but-when-you-hear-men-talking-said-cornelia-all-they-ever-do-is-speak/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) > [ This pre-eminence is something \[men\] have unjustly arrogated to themselves. And when it's said that women must be subject to men, the phrase should… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/this-pre-eminence-is-something-men-have-unjustly-arrogated-to/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) > [Men were created before women. ... But that doesn't prove their superiority – rather, it proves ours, for they were born out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/men-were-created-before-women-but-that-doesn-t-prove-their/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) > [When you hear men talking," said Cornelia, "all they ever do is speak ill of women. ... 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Wouldn't it be possible for us just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/it-really-is-something-that-men-disapprove-even-of-our-doing-things/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) > [ \[I\]t was with a good end in mind – that of acquiring the knowledge of good and evil – that Eve allowed herself to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/i-t-was-with-a-good-end-in-mind-that-of-acquiring-the-knowledge-of/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) > [“Don’t we see that men’s rightful task is to go out to work and wear themselves out trying to accumulate wealth, as though they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/don-t-we-see-that-men-s-rightful-task-is-to-go-out-to-work-and-wear/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) [Explore all 10 Moderata Fonte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) ## More Accidents quotes > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/i-made-out-with-a-homeless-guy-by-accident-i-had-no-idea-he-was/) [Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/) > [Naturally I feel no shame in writing these things because of the time which separates the moment when they are written--when only I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-ernaux/naturally-i-feel-no-shame-in-writing-these-things-because-of-the-time/) [Annie Ernaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-ernaux/) > [In a city where you walk around, it's impossible to plan your day and your life as accidents will happen, you'll overhear things, bump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-schwartzman/in-a-city-where-you-walk-around-it-s-impossible-to-plan-your-day-and/) [Jason Schwartzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-schwartzman/) > [I don't think it's by accident that I was first attracted to translating two French women poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/i-don-t-think-it-s-by-accident-that-i-was-first-attracted-to/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [Despite my mentors advice that I would never go to heaven fishing with a weighted nymph and a float, I took it up. 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