--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is, as we know, the victors who write…" description: "\"“It is, as we know, the victors who write the history, especially when only the victors know how to write.”\" — Neil MacGregor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/neil-macgregor-16366_history_it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-t_2337815.png" --- # It is, as we know, the victors who write the history… ![“It is, as we know, the victors who write the history, especially when only the victors know how to write.” quote by Neil MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/neil-macgregor-16366_history_it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-t_2337815.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/neil-macgregor-16366_history_it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-t_2337815.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/neil-macgregor-16366_history_it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-t_2337815.png) > ““It is, as we know, the victors who write the history, especially when only the victors know how to write.”” [Neil MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macgregor/) ## 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 written by victors, implying bias and selective narrative control. **In simple terms:** History reflects winners' perspectives. Key Takeaway Question dominant narratives. Themes history power bias narrative Mood critical inquisitive Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - education - media consumption - political discourse Key Concepts historical revisionism critical analysis Questions to Reflect On - Who are the unheard voices? - How can we uncover hidden histories? A Different Perspective Alternative perspectives may be suppressed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Truth is with the victors-who, as you know, also controls the historians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-hochhuth/truth-is-with-the-victors-who-as-you-know-also-controls-the-historians/) [Rolf Hochhuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-hochhuth/) > [That is what always happens: we never know whether we are victors or whether we are defeated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/that-is-what-always-happens-we-never-know-whether-we-are-victors-or/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I cannot understand why some people try to write a history of photography that is separated from the history of modern art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-chevrier/i-cannot-understand-why-some-people-try-to-write-a-history-of/) [Jean-Francois Chevrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-chevrier/) > [Those in power write the history while those who suffer write the songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-harte/those-in-power-write-the-history-while-those-who-suffer-write-the/) Frank Harte > [ Intellectuals (in the standard sense of the term, not \[ Edward\] Said's prescriptive sense) are the people who write history. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/intellectuals-in-the-standard-sense-of-the-term-not-edward-said-s/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [You can write your own history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/you-can-write-your-own-history/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [If you wanted to, you could write history in Haiku.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/if-you-wanted-to-you-could-write-history-in-haiku/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [“Suppose a would-be writer can't begin? I really believe there are many excellent writers who have never written because they never could begin. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-leacock/suppose-a-would-be-writer-can-t-begin-i-really-believe-there-are-many/) [Stephen Leacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-leacock/) > [If we do not, as historians, write the history of great events as well as the small stories that make up the past, others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/if-we-do-not-as-historians-write-the-history-of-great-events-as-well/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Never make enemies of anyone younger or healthier than you are. They write your history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-m-appel/never-make-enemies-of-anyone-younger-or-healthier-than-you-are-they/) [Jacob M. 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The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is, as we know, the victors who write the history, especially when only the victors know how to write.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil MacGregor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macgregor/it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-the-history-especially-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macgregor/it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-the-history-especially-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/neil-macgregor-16366_history_it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-t_2337815.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/neil-macgregor-16366_history_it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-t_2337815.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/neil-macgregor-16366_history_it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-t_2337815.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is, as we know, the victors who write the history, especially when only the victors know how to write.” — Neil MacGregor", "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": "Neil MacGregor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macgregor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is, as we know, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macgregor/it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-the-history-especially-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macgregor/it-is-as-we-know-the-victors-who-write-the-history-especially-when/#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 } } ] } ```