--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is an accumulation of error." description: "\"History is an accumulation of error.\" — Norman Cousins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/norman-cousins-2488_accumulation_history-is-an-accumulation-of-error-1344_1344774.png" --- # History is an accumulation of error. ![“History is an accumulation of error.” quote by Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/norman-cousins-2488_accumulation_history-is-an-accumulation-of-error-1344_1344774.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/norman-cousins-2488_accumulation_history-is-an-accumulation-of-error-1344_1344774.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/norman-cousins-2488_accumulation_history-is-an-accumulation-of-error-1344_1344774.png) > “History is an accumulation of error.” [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History repeats errors because societies ignore lessons from past failures. **In simple terms:** History repeats mistakes. Key Takeaway Study past errors to avoid them. Themes history error learning progress Mood thoughtful serious Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - curriculum design - public discourse Key Concepts philosophy political science education Questions to Reflect On - What historical errors are most relevant today? - How can societies better learn from the past? A Different Perspective Complex causes may make simple lessons insufficient. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accumulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accumulation/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [History is not the accumulation of events of every kind which happened in the past. It is the science of human societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/numa-denis-fustel-de-coulanges/history-is-not-the-accumulation-of-events-of-every-kind-which/) [Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/numa-denis-fustel-de-coulanges/) > [“Personal and world history is an accumulation of todays, and how they were spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-m-davis/personal-and-world-history-is-an-accumulation-of-todays-and-how-they/) [Andrew M. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-m-davis/) > [Surrealism can only deliver a reactionary judgment; can make out of history only an accumulation of oddities, a joke, a death trip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/surrealism-can-only-deliver-a-reactionary-judgment-can-make-out-of/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“Tiny threads of time are the warp and woof of God’s redemptive tapestry: a series of todays, used well or poorly. God has ordained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-m-davis/tiny-threads-of-time-are-the-warp-and-woof-of-god-s-redemptive/) [Andrew M. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-m-davis/) > [“One of the greatest statements you can ever make on earth is to say “I am right, but I may be wrong”. Find out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/one-of-the-greatest-statements-you-can-ever-make-on-earth-is-to-say-i/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Always to distrust is an error, as well as always to trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/always-to-distrust-is-an-error-as-well-as-always-to-trust/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Error has never approached my spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klemens-von-metternich/error-has-never-approached-my-spirit/) [Klemens von Metternich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klemens-von-metternich/) > [Why is the public so interested in movies about the wealthy? My answer is that Shakespeare wrote about kings. That's where the action is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-jarecki/why-is-the-public-so-interested-in-movies-about-the-wealthy-my-answer/) [Nicholas Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-jarecki/) > [Error is always talkative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/error-is-always-talkative/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [For the robust, an error is information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/for-the-robust-an-error-is-information/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [It is a great error to take oneself for more than one is, or for less than one is worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-a-great-error-to-take-oneself-for-more-than-one-is-or-for-less/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Stop blaming other people for your mistakes. Until you are ready to admit that you are infallible, you are vulnerable for failure to whip.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/stop-blaming-other-people-for-your-mistakes-until-you-are-ready-to/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [It's a base hit on the error by Roberts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-coleman/it-s-a-base-hit-on-the-error-by-roberts/) [Jerry Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-coleman/) > [This idea that once you get into politics... you are now signed up for lifelong duty being in elective office, makes a fundamental error…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-gonzalez/this-idea-that-once-you-get-into-politics-you-are-now-signed-up-for/) [Matt Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-gonzalez/) > [Truth is error burned up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-o-brown/truth-is-error-burned-up/) [Norman O. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-o-brown/) ## More by Norman Cousins > [The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. Even to speculate is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-poet-reminds-men-of-their-uniqueness-and-it-is-not-necessary-to/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [Unobstructed access to facts can produce unlimited good only if it is matched by the desire and ability to find out what they mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/unobstructed-access-to-facts-can-produce-unlimited-good-only-if-it-is/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [What was significant about the laughter . . . was not just the fact that it provides internal exercise for a person . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/what-was-significant-about-the-laughter-was-not-just-the-fact-that-it/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [You are younger today than you will ever be again. Make use of it for the sake of tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/you-are-younger-today-than-you-will-ever-be-again-make-use-of-it-for/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [On the quality of life: #1. Realize that each human being has a built-in capacity for recuperation and repair. #2. Recognize that the quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/on-the-quality-of-life-1-realize-that-each-human-being-has-a-built-in/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [What a man really says when he says that someone else can be persuaded by force, is that he himself is incapable of more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/what-a-man-really-says-when-he-says-that-someone-else-can-be/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [The starting point for a better world is the belief that it is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-starting-point-for-a-better-world-is-the-belief-that-it-is/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [The physician knows that his little black bag can carry him only so far and that the body's own healing system is the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-physician-knows-that-his-little-black-bag-can-carry-him-only-so/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [We are wide-eyed in contemplating the possibility that life may exist elsewhere in the universe, but we wear blinders when contemplating the possibilities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/we-are-wide-eyed-in-contemplating-the-possibility-that-life-may-exist/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [The essence of man is imperfection. Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success. If we learn to embrace that new definition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-essence-of-man-is-imperfection-failure-is-simply-a-price-we-pay/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [My reason nourishes my faith and my faith my reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/my-reason-nourishes-my-faith-and-my-faith-my-reason/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [The growth of the human mind is still high adventure, in many ways the highest adventure on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-growth-of-the-human-mind-is-still-high-adventure-in-many-ways-the/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [Death is not the enemy; living in constant fear of it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/death-is-not-the-enemy-living-in-constant-fear-of-it-is/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [All this sensory input, which begins in the brain, has its effect throughout the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/all-this-sensory-input-which-begins-in-the-brain-has-its-effect/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [Humanity today is not safe in the presence of humanity. The old cannibalism has given way to anonymous action in which the killer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/humanity-today-is-not-safe-in-the-presence-of-humanity-the-old/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) [Explore all 162 Norman Cousins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) ## More Accumulation quotes > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. The work I was pouring out did not come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-eisner/before-world-war-ii-i-was-living-a-very-cloistered-existence-as-most/) [Will Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-eisner/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-accumulation-of-all-powers-legislative-executive-and-judiciary-in/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [I think that only daring speculation can lead us further and not accumulation of facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-think-that-only-daring-speculation-can-lead-us-further-and-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Karma is often wrongly confused with the notion of a fixed destiny. It is more like an accumulation of tendencies that can lock us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/karma-is-often-wrongly-confused-with-the-notion-of-a-fixed-destiny-it/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [There has been, for some reason (or more likely an unfortunate accumulation of reasons) a trend over the past several decades for parents to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-hax/there-has-been-for-some-reason-or-more-likely-an-unfortunate/) [Carolyn Hax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-hax/) > [Ageing is, simply and clearly, the accumulation of damage in the body. That's all that ageing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/ageing-is-simply-and-clearly-the-accumulation-of-damage-in-the-body/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [For me, personally, there is one really interesting thing. You're all a bit too young for that, but when you get to a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/for-me-personally-there-is-one-really-interesting-thing-you-re-all-a/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [The mounting burden of taxation not only undermines individual incentives to increased work and earnings, but in a score of ways discourages capital accumulation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/the-mounting-burden-of-taxation-not-only-undermines-individual/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [When the accumulation of wealth is no longer of high social importance, there will be great changes in the code of morals. We shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/when-the-accumulation-of-wealth-is-no-longer-of-high-social/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [The native American has been generally despised by his white conquerors for his poverty and simplicity. They forget, perhaps, that his religion forbade the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-alexander-eastman/the-native-american-has-been-generally-despised-by-his-white/) [Charles Alexander Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-alexander-eastman/) > [The soul lives forever by giving, not receiving. This is the grand paradox. You get most by giving most. Conversely, by receiving much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-johnson/the-soul-lives-forever-by-giving-not-receiving-this-is-the-grand/) [Julian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-johnson/) > [Forgiveness of the present is even more important than forgiveness of the past. If you forgive every moment - allow it to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/forgiveness-of-the-present-is-even-more-important-than-forgiveness-of/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/too-much-and-too-long-we-seem-to-have-surrendered-community/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) [Browse all 412 Accumulation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accumulation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History is an accumulation of error.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Norman Cousins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/history-is-an-accumulation-of-error/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accumulation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/history-is-an-accumulation-of-error/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/norman-cousins-2488_accumulation_history-is-an-accumulation-of-error-1344_1344774.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/norman-cousins-2488_accumulation_history-is-an-accumulation-of-error-1344_1344774.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/norman-cousins-2488_accumulation_history-is-an-accumulation-of-error-1344_1344774.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History is an accumulation of error.” — Norman Cousins", "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": "Norman Cousins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "History is an accumulation of error.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/history-is-an-accumulation-of-error/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/history-is-an-accumulation-of-error/#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 } } ] } ```