--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can actually muck with history and…" description: "\"You can actually muck with history and think about what if, why not. What if there were dragons in the Incan Empire that allowed them to resist coloniz..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/naomi-novik-6809_colonization_you-can-actually-muck-with-history-and-t_2301445.jpg" --- # You can actually muck with history and think about what… ![“You can actually muck with history and think about what if, why not. What if there were dragons in the Incan Empire that allowed them to resist colonization? What if there were a massive dragon empire in the middle of the interior of southern Africa that decided to take objection to the slave trade?” quote by Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/naomi-novik-6809_colonization_you-can-actually-muck-with-history-and-t_2301445.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/naomi-novik-6809_colonization_you-can-actually-muck-with-history-and-t_2301445.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/naomi-novik-6809_colonization_you-can-actually-muck-with-history-and-t_2301445.jpg) > “You can actually muck with history and think about what if, why not. What if there were dragons in the Incan Empire that allowed them to resist colonization? What if there were a massive dragon empire in the middle of the interior of southern Africa that decided to take objection to the slave trade?” [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores alternate histories where fantastical elements reshape real-world events, prompting imaginative speculation about power and resistance. **In simple terms:** Imagines dragons altering history to change outcomes. Key Takeaway Consider how different forces could alter historical trajectories. Themes imagination history resistance speculation power Mood playful thought‑provoking speculative Type fiction philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - worldbuilding - academic discussion - role‑playing games - educational workshops Key Concepts alternate history fantasy world colonialism slavery geopolitics Questions to Reflect On - What does adding a dragon reveal about our view of history? - How might power dynamics shift with mythical beings? A Different Perspective Such scenarios can oversimplify complex causes and ignore real human agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Colonization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonization/) [Dragons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dragons/) [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Objections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objections/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Slave trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-trade/) [Southern africa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southern-africa/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Why not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why-not/) ## Related quotes > [“Dawn," Thymara scoffed. "I think the dragons meant, "After we wake up and when we feel like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/dawn-thymara-scoffed-i-think-the-dragons-meant-after-we-wake-up-and/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [“You can’t just hope for happy endings. You have to believe in them. Then do the work, take the risks. Slay the dragon—though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/you-can-t-just-hope-for-happy-endings-you-have-to-believe-in-them-2/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [People see him as a hero. Not just in Zimbabwe or here in Zambia but across the whole of southern Africa. It's no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-kaunda/people-see-him-as-a-hero-not-just-in-zimbabwe-or-here-in-zambia-but/) [Kenneth Kaunda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-kaunda/) > [The whole of that part of Southern Africa which is controlled by racial minorities is experiencing either consistent and regular guerilla activity or is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-slovo/the-whole-of-that-part-of-southern-africa-which-is-controlled-by/) [Joe Slovo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-slovo/) > [In spite of the frightful pogroms which took place, first in Poland and then in unprecedented fashion in the Ukraine, and which cost the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-fahey/in-spite-of-the-frightful-pogroms-which-took-place-first-in-poland/) [Denis Fahey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-fahey/) > [Depending on where you live, your threat is much different from the other person. If you ask a New Yorker today, because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/depending-on-where-you-live-your-threat-is-much-different-from-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Now if we can get white population, immigrants and big companies and so on moving into Africa and if we can get with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/now-if-we-can-get-white-population-immigrants-and-big-companies-and/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [Ordinarily rivers run small at the beginning, grow broader and broader as they proceed, and become widest and deepest at the point, where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/ordinarily-rivers-run-small-at-the-beginning-grow-broader-and-broader/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [South Africa is regarded as being an extraordinarily important country - not just for South Africa, but for Southern Africa, for the BRICS, working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/south-africa-is-regarded-as-being-an-extraordinarily-important/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) > [It is often argued that the people who will be affected by a major decision should be involved in it. Paul Kruger, president of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-e-boone/it-is-often-argued-that-the-people-who-will-be-affected-by-a-major/) Louis E. Boone > [Reality shows that, contrary to other countries in southern Africa, we have no basis for a classical guerilla struggle. We have never had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-slovo/reality-shows-that-contrary-to-other-countries-in-southern-africa-we/) [Joe Slovo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-slovo/) > [Our aim is to gain control of the two great treasure houses on which the West depends: The energy treasure house of the Persian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-brezhnev/our-aim-is-to-gain-control-of-the-two-great-treasure-houses-on-which/) [Leonid Brezhnev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-brezhnev/) > [In New York I heard A Piece of Ground, written by a white South African, Jeremy Taylor. I modified it a little and sang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-makeba/in-new-york-i-heard-a-piece-of-ground-written-by-a-white-south/) [Miriam Makeba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-makeba/) > [“Because it is located so far south, and the coastal plain quickly rises into high land, South Africa is one of the very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-marshall/because-it-is-located-so-far-south-and-the-coastal-plain-quickly/) [Tim Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-marshall/) > [It was the silent time before dawn, along the shores of what had been one of the most beautiful lakes in southern Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/it-was-the-silent-time-before-dawn-along-the-shores-of-what-had-been/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) ## More by Naomi Novik > [“The crew were all of them inclined to cough and sneeze, the boys particularly, and Keynes said, "We ought put them all in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/the-crew-were-all-of-them-inclined-to-cough-and-sneeze-the-boys/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“For his part, Temeraire had been following this exchange with cocked head and increasing confusion; now he said, "I do not understand in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/for-his-part-temeraire-had-been-following-this-exchange-with-cocked/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“Elsie eyed him puzzledly, and then offered, "Would you like to see my plate?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/elsie-eyed-him-puzzledly-and-then-offered-would-you-like-to-see-my/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [Temeraire-- Never fear; I am going; the Son of Heaven will not tolerate delays, and Barham gives me leave. Allegiance will carry us! Pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/temeraire-never-fear-i-am-going-the-son-of-heaven-will-not-tolerate/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“One man can go where a group cannot, and manage on very little, particularly a rough adventurer such as he. More the point, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/one-man-can-go-where-a-group-cannot-and-manage-on-very-little/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“It was all right when I did it,” I said, “but when you did it, it was wrong. As though—you were following a trail,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/it-was-all-right-when-i-did-it-i-said-but-when-you-did-it-it-was/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [Next you will cry about taxation without representation, and throw a basket of tea into the harbor. You are indeed a very Jacobin at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/next-you-will-cry-about-taxation-without-representation-and-throw-a/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“Her beautiful face was blank as an unwritten book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/her-beautiful-face-was-blank-as-an-unwritten-book/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“But I realized now that without quite thinking it through, I'd half-imagined myself a place here in the tower. My little room upstairs, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/but-i-realized-now-that-without-quite-thinking-it-through-i-d-half/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“No; they nearly drowned you, and not even on purpose but only through carelessness. I am not letting them have you back,” Temeraire said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/no-they-nearly-drowned-you-and-not-even-on-purpose-but-only-through/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“I do not know that the Chinese system is any worse; there is a limit to the evil one despot alone can do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/i-do-not-know-that-the-chinese-system-is-any-worse-there-is-a-limit/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“Those men want to take Laurence from me, and put him in prison, and execute him, and I will not let them, ever, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/those-men-want-to-take-laurence-from-me-and-put-him-in-prison-and/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/i-should-rather-have-you-than-a-heap-of-gold-even-if-it-were-very/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“I think we must only a few of us go," Laurence said, low. "I will take a few volunteers - " "Oh, the devil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/i-think-we-must-only-a-few-of-us-go-laurence-said-low-i-will-take-a/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“I know i'm making her sound like something out of a story. But it was the other way around. When my mother told me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/i-know-i-m-making-her-sound-like-something-out-of-a-story-but-it-was/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) [Explore all 97 Naomi Novik quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) ## More Colonization quotes > [Humor is widely used by Indians to deal with life. Indian gatherings are marked by laughter and jokes, many directed at the horrors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gunn-allen/humor-is-widely-used-by-indians-to-deal-with-life-indian-gatherings/) [Paula Gunn Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gunn-allen/) > [“To be sure, the church has greatly assisted the colonialist; backing his ventures, helping his conscience, contributing to the acceptance of colonization even by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-memmi/to-be-sure-the-church-has-greatly-assisted-the-colonialist-backing/) [Albert Memmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-memmi/) > [The loss of national identity is the greatest defeat a nation can know, and it is inevitable under the contemporary form of colonization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-milosevi/the-loss-of-national-identity-is-the-greatest-defeat-a-nation-can/) [Slobodan Milosević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-milosevi/) > [“They must train you pretty good not to react to shit like that. Must take stuff out of you.” Vince’s eyes intensified then broke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-kirwan/they-must-train-you-pretty-good-not-to-react-to-shit-like-that-must/) [Barry Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-kirwan/) > [“Beef had hit $300 a kilo. Not that he could recall the last time he’d tasted real beef.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-kirwan/beef-had-hit-300-a-kilo-not-that-he-could-recall-the-last-time-he-d/) [Barry Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-kirwan/) > [“The journey of a thousands suns begins today. Some may question whether the journey is worth the sacrifice and danger. To them I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/the-journey-of-a-thousands-suns-begins-today-some-may-question/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [ “\[...\] colonization was a paedophile \[sic\] who insists on being a parent.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapiwa-mugabe/colonization-was-a-paedophile-sic-who-insists-on-being-a-parent/) [Tapiwa Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapiwa-mugabe/) > [“When individuals and communities do not govern self, they risk being ruled by external forces that care less about the well-being of the village.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/when-individuals-and-communities-do-not-govern-self-they-risk-being/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [“I find forgiveness overrated. There are times and places when it’s appropriate. But not when the demand that you forgive is used to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/i-find-forgiveness-overrated-there-are-times-and-places-when-it-s/) [Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/) > [I cannot make it better known than it already is that I strongly favor colonization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-cannot-make-it-better-known-than-it-already-is-that-i-strongly/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Colonization was the idea that once slavery ended African-Americans should be encouraged - or required, in some people's view - required to leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/colonization-was-the-idea-that-once-slavery-ended-african-americans/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Historians still often see the end of the war as meaning nothing more for Germany than lost territories, lost participation in colonization, and lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/historians-still-often-see-the-end-of-the-war-as-meaning-nothing-more/) [Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/) > [Colonization means potential immortality for the human genus. Man's safety on Earth was never great, and it dwindles hourly. Disarmament, even world government, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poul-anderson/colonization-means-potential-immortality-for-the-human-genus-man-s/) [Poul Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poul-anderson/) > [Planet colonization is not a short term concern of mine. The physical limitations of space travel render it low on the list for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/planet-colonization-is-not-a-short-term-concern-of-mine-the-physical/) [Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/) > [Every object you see before you at this moment -the walls, ceiling, and furniture, the book, your own washed hands and cut fingernails, bears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/every-object-you-see-before-you-at-this-moment-the-walls-ceiling-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) [Browse all 110 Colonization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can actually muck with history and think about what if, why not. What if there were dragons in the Incan Empire that allowed them to resist colonization? 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