--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So this was the big secret historians…" description: "\"So this was the big secret historians keep to themselves: historical research is wildly seductive and fun. There's a thrill in the process of digging, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nancy-horan-13138_big_so-this-was-the-big-secret-historians-ke_2846086.png" --- # So this was the big secret historians keep to themselves… ![“So this was the big secret historians keep to themselves: historical research is wildly seductive and fun. There's a thrill in the process of digging, then piecing together details like a puzzle.” quote by Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nancy-horan-13138_big_so-this-was-the-big-secret-historians-ke_2846086.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nancy-horan-13138_big_so-this-was-the-big-secret-historians-ke_2846086.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nancy-horan-13138_big_so-this-was-the-big-secret-historians-ke_2846086.png) > “So this was the big secret historians keep to themselves: historical research is wildly seductive and fun. There's a thrill in the process of digging, then piecing together details like a puzzle.” [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical research is captivating, like solving a puzzle, offering excitement and discovery. **In simple terms:** History research feels like a fun puzzle. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity in learning history. Themes history research curiosity learning Mood enthusiastic inquisitive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - academic study - personal hobby - museum work Key Concepts archaeology methodology Questions to Reflect On - What historical mystery intrigues you? - How does curiosity drive research? A Different Perspective May romanticize research, ignoring rigorous analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Details](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details/) [Digging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digging/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [Historians Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians-historical-3759561/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-research/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Keep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Puzzle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzle/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Research Wildly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-wildly-3759559/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-historians-3759560/) [Seductive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seductive/) [Seductive Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seductive-fun-3759562/) [Themselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/themselves/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Thrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrill/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Wildly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildly/) ## Related quotes > [Quite apart from any conscious program, the great cultural historians have always been historical morphologists: seekers after theforms of life, thought, custom, knowledge, art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-huizinga/quite-apart-from-any-conscious-program-the-great-cultural-historians/) [Johan Huizinga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-huizinga/) > [historical research of the truly scholastic kind is not connected with human beings at all. It is a pure study, like higher mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-wedgwood/historical-research-of-the-truly-scholastic-kind-is-not-connected/) [C. V. Wedgwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-wedgwood/) > [The idea of a method that contains firm, unchanging, and absolutely binding principles for conducting the business of science meets considerable difficulty when confronted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/the-idea-of-a-method-that-contains-firm-unchanging-and-absolutely/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [Problems come and go over time, and to understand why is a difficult historical task. If one wanted to find the origin of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crane/problems-come-and-go-over-time-and-to-understand-why-is-a-difficult/) [Tim Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crane/) > [If it is impossible to judge merit and guilt in the field of natural science, then it is not possible in any field, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-von-liebig/if-it-is-impossible-to-judge-merit-and-guilt-in-the-field-of-natural/) [Justus von Liebig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-von-liebig/) > [“You'll find that historical research is extremely soothing. When you spend all day among old papers, the people come alive for you, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/you-ll-find-that-historical-research-is-extremely-soothing-when-you/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [My drug of choice is historical research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lee-spence/my-drug-of-choice-is-historical-research/) [E. Lee Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lee-spence/) > [If one were to claim that the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq have been provided with "keys to heaven" by the Pentagon, would that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-marandi/if-one-were-to-claim-that-the-u-s-occupation-forces-in-iraq-have-been/) [Mohammad Marandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-marandi/) > [...the discipline of economics has yet to get over its childish passion for mathematics and for purely theoretical and often highly ideological speculation, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/the-discipline-of-economics-has-yet-to-get-over-its-childish-passion/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [Historical research to this day remains unorganized, and the historian is expected to make his own instruments or do without them; and so with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-lewis-bernstein-namier/historical-research-to-this-day-remains-unorganized-and-the-historian/) [Sir Lewis Bernstein Namier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-lewis-bernstein-namier/) > [If all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the canons of historical research, to conclude that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-l-maier/if-all-the-evidence-is-weighed-carefully-and-fairly-it-is-indeed/) [Paul L. Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-l-maier/) > [You don't go to the movies to do historical research, unless it's historical research about the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/you-don-t-go-to-the-movies-to-do-historical-research-unless-it-s/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Very strange bridges are used to make the passage from one state of things to another; we may lose sight of them in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-butterfield/very-strange-bridges-are-used-to-make-the-passage-from-one-state-of/) [Herbert Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-butterfield/) > [Even with years of historical research, the more humans try to define themself, the more there end up getting drown in their own confussion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igwe-daniel-kelechi/even-with-years-of-historical-research-the-more-humans-try-to-define/) [Igwe Daniel Kelechi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igwe-daniel-kelechi/) > [I have certainly amassed many historical research gathering skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/i-have-certainly-amassed-many-historical-research-gathering-skills/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) ## More by Nancy Horan > [“There's not a word I can say to you that you have not already though of, Mamah... There are ways to hold the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/there-s-not-a-word-i-can-say-to-you-that-you-have-not-already-though/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > ['Loving Frank' is about a forbidden love affair between two people who lived a hundred years ago - Frank Lloyd Wright and his married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/loving-frank-is-about-a-forbidden-love-affair-between-two-people-who/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [“If Catherine would just let go' had been their mantra for so long. Now Mamah understood Catherine's dilemma better. She wouldn't divorce Frank because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/if-catherine-would-just-let-go-had-been-their-mantra-for-so-long-now/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [Don't you see what's happened? You wanted to be in love again. To feel that feeling where a man you hardly know gazes into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/don-t-you-see-what-s-happened-you-wanted-to-be-in-love-again-to-feel/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [If someone had told me in high school that one day I'd write an historical novel, I would have rolled my eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/if-someone-had-told-me-in-high-school-that-one-day-i-d-write-an/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [“Why is the heart that is broken considered so much more valuable than the one or the two who must cause the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/why-is-the-heart-that-is-broken-considered-so-much-more-valuable-than/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [How small we humans are. All our scrambling around, trying to buttress ourselves against death. All our efforts to insulate ourselves against uncertainty with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/how-small-we-humans-are-all-our-scrambling-around-trying-to-buttress/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [“Your life doesn't belong to just you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/your-life-doesn-t-belong-to-just-you/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [“I'm like the trunk of a cactus, I suppose." she told him. "I take in a dose of culture and time with friends, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/i-m-like-the-trunk-of-a-cactus-i-suppose-she-told-him-i-take-in-a/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [“When both lovers yearn to become entirely one being, to free each other and to develop each other to the greatest perfection, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/when-both-lovers-yearn-to-become-entirely-one-being-to-free-each/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [“Take my love for granted," he said, "and I shall do the same for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/take-my-love-for-granted-he-said-and-i-shall-do-the-same-for-you/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [“It seemed to me that boys had a lot more fun. It was a relief. I didn't look at myself from the outside. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/it-seemed-to-me-that-boys-had-a-lot-more-fun-it-was-a-relief-i-didn-t/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/i-have-been-standing-on-the-side-of-life-watching-it-float-by-i-want/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [“Together greet life's solemn real. Together own one glad ideal, Together laugh, together ache, And think one thought- "Each other's sake," And hope one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/together-greet-life-s-solemn-real-together-own-one-glad-ideal/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [I guess I'm drawn to artists and literary people and want to learn about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/i-guess-i-m-drawn-to-artists-and-literary-people-and-want-to-learn/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) [Explore all 51 Nancy Horan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) ## More Big quotes > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) [Browse all 12,477 Big quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So this was the big secret historians keep to themselves: historical research is wildly seductive and fun. 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