--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The process of history is combustion." description: "\"“The process of history is combustion.”\" — Novalis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/novalis-1989_history_the-process-of-history-is-combustion-198_1982204.jpg" --- # The process of history is combustion. ![“The process of history is combustion.” quote by Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/novalis-1989_history_the-process-of-history-is-combustion-198_1982204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/novalis-1989_history_the-process-of-history-is-combustion-198_1982204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/novalis-1989_history_the-process-of-history-is-combustion-198_1982204.jpg) > ““The process of history is combustion.”” [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History advances through transformative, often destructive, events that reshape societies. **In simple terms:** History changes through destruction. Key Takeaway Embrace change as a catalyst. Themes history transformation destruction Mood reflective serious Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - social movements - political revolutions - cultural shifts Key Concepts philosophy dialectics Questions to Reflect On - How can we guide destructive forces toward constructive ends? - What role does intentionality play in historical change? A Different Perspective Destruction alone does not guarantee positive outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Combustion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combustion/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Combustion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-combustion-3389716/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Process History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-history-840497/) ## Related quotes > [Wars usually have the effect of speeding up the process of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pieter-geyl/wars-usually-have-the-effect-of-speeding-up-the-process-of-history/) [Pieter Geyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pieter-geyl/) > [I know that the right kind of leader for the Labour Party is a desiccated calculating machine who must not in any way permit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneurin-bevan/i-know-that-the-right-kind-of-leader-for-the-labour-party-is-a/) [Aneurin Bevan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneurin-bevan/) > [What if I am, in some way, only a sophisticated fire that has acquired an ability to regulate its rate of combustion and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/what-if-i-am-in-some-way-only-a-sophisticated-fire-that-has-acquired/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [To many of us now, computers, silicon chips, data processing, cybernetics, and all the other innovations of the dawning high technology age are as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/to-many-of-us-now-computers-silicon-chips-data-processing-cybernetics/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Our opposition will never understand the Democratic Party. Our Party is--to the unpracticed eyes of the old Republican Tories--a mysterious contraption that usually seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/our-opposition-will-never-understand-the-democratic-party-our-party/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [Spontaneous combustion of grassroots politics is the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/spontaneous-combustion-of-grassroots-politics-is-the-future/) [Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/) > [Fear is like the steam that fires the combustion engine. You need fear to get a performance going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/fear-is-like-the-steam-that-fires-the-combustion-engine-you-need-fear/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [Possibly the tragedy of the bicycle is that it was invented too close in time to the car. In the historical scheme, pedal power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ballantine/possibly-the-tragedy-of-the-bicycle-is-that-it-was-invented-too-close/) [Richard Ballantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ballantine/) > [...it ought to be possible to establish a coordinated global program to accomplish the strategic goal of completely eliminating the internal combustion engine over,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/it-ought-to-be-possible-to-establish-a-coordinated-global-program-to/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Everybody thinks an automobile needs an engine. Well, an automobile doesn't necessarily need an engine. What we do is shift electric motors into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-mitchell/everybody-thinks-an-automobile-needs-an-engine-well-an-automobile/) [William J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-mitchell/) > [“Success is not due to spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various-attributed-sources/success-is-not-due-to-spontaneous-combustion-you-have-to-set-yourself/) [Various attributed sources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/various-attributed-sources/) > [It's pretty boring, working by yourself. The scene happens in between the two of you, and then you don't know what it's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/it-s-pretty-boring-working-by-yourself-the-scene-happens-in-between/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Fulfilling the four needs in an integrated way is like combining elements in chemistry. When we reach a "critical mass" of integration, we experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/fulfilling-the-four-needs-in-an-integrated-way-is-like-combining/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Spontaneous combustion IS a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/spontaneous-combustion-is-a-form-of-harm-mr-d-chiron-put-in/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Shakespeare doesn't belong to the past. If his material is valid, it is valid now. It's like coal. The only meaningfulness of a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brook/shakespeare-doesn-t-belong-to-the-past-if-his-material-is-valid-it-is/) [Peter Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brook/) ## More by Novalis > [To get to know a truth properly, one must polemicize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/to-get-to-know-a-truth-properly-one-must-polemicize-it/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Character is a wish for a perfect education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/character-is-a-wish-for-a-perfect-education/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [“Whoever sees life other than as a self-destroying illusion is himself still preoccupied with life. Life must not be a novel that is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/whoever-sees-life-other-than-as-a-self-destroying-illusion-is-himself/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [“Inspiration without intellect is useless and dangerous; and the poet will be able to perform few wonders, when he is astonished by wonders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/inspiration-without-intellect-is-useless-and-dangerous-and-the-poet/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [It is not merely the multiplicity of tints, the gladness of tone, or the balminess of the air which delight in the spring; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/it-is-not-merely-the-multiplicity-of-tints-the-gladness-of-tone-or/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [“The world must be romanticized. Only in that way will one rediscover its original senses. Romanticization is nothing less than a qualitative raising of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-world-must-be-romanticized-only-in-that-way-will-one-rediscover/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Nature is an aeolian harp, a musical instrument whose tones are the re-echo of higher strings within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/nature-is-an-aeolian-harp-a-musical-instrument-whose-tones-are-the-re/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Our bodies are molded rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/our-bodies-are-molded-rivers/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Where are we really going? Always home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/where-are-we-really-going-always-home/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Darwin remarks that we are less dazzled by the light at waking, if we have been dreaming of visible objects. Happy are those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/darwin-remarks-that-we-are-less-dazzled-by-the-light-at-waking-if-we/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [We are near waking when we dream we are dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/we-are-near-waking-when-we-dream-we-are-dreaming/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Man has his being in truth--if he sacrifices truth he sacrifices himself. Whoever betrays truth betrays himself. It is not a question of lying--but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/man-has-his-being-in-truth-if-he-sacrifices-truth-he-sacrifices/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Every beloved object is the center point of a paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/every-beloved-object-is-the-center-point-of-a-paradise/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [In a work of art, chaos must shimmer through the veil of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/in-a-work-of-art-chaos-must-shimmer-through-the-veil-of-order/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Many things are too delicate to be thought; many more, to be spoken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/many-things-are-too-delicate-to-be-thought-many-more-to-be-spoken/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) [Explore all 167 Novalis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) ## More Combustion quotes > [Shakespeare doesn't belong to the past. If his material is valid, it is valid now. It's like coal. The only meaningfulness of a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brook/shakespeare-doesn-t-belong-to-the-past-if-his-material-is-valid-it-is/) [Peter Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brook/) > [Spontaneous combustion IS a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/spontaneous-combustion-is-a-form-of-harm-mr-d-chiron-put-in/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Fulfilling the four needs in an integrated way is like combining elements in chemistry. When we reach a "critical mass" of integration, we experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/fulfilling-the-four-needs-in-an-integrated-way-is-like-combining/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [It's pretty boring, working by yourself. The scene happens in between the two of you, and then you don't know what it's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/it-s-pretty-boring-working-by-yourself-the-scene-happens-in-between/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [“Success is not due to spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various-attributed-sources/success-is-not-due-to-spontaneous-combustion-you-have-to-set-yourself/) [Various attributed sources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/various-attributed-sources/) > [Everybody thinks an automobile needs an engine. Well, an automobile doesn't necessarily need an engine. What we do is shift electric motors into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-mitchell/everybody-thinks-an-automobile-needs-an-engine-well-an-automobile/) [William J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-mitchell/) > [...it ought to be possible to establish a coordinated global program to accomplish the strategic goal of completely eliminating the internal combustion engine over,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/it-ought-to-be-possible-to-establish-a-coordinated-global-program-to/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Possibly the tragedy of the bicycle is that it was invented too close in time to the car. In the historical scheme, pedal power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ballantine/possibly-the-tragedy-of-the-bicycle-is-that-it-was-invented-too-close/) [Richard Ballantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ballantine/) > [Fear is like the steam that fires the combustion engine. You need fear to get a performance going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/fear-is-like-the-steam-that-fires-the-combustion-engine-you-need-fear/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [Spontaneous combustion of grassroots politics is the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/spontaneous-combustion-of-grassroots-politics-is-the-future/) [Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/) > [Our opposition will never understand the Democratic Party. Our Party is--to the unpracticed eyes of the old Republican Tories--a mysterious contraption that usually seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/our-opposition-will-never-understand-the-democratic-party-our-party/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [To many of us now, computers, silicon chips, data processing, cybernetics, and all the other innovations of the dawning high technology age are as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/to-many-of-us-now-computers-silicon-chips-data-processing-cybernetics/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [What if I am, in some way, only a sophisticated fire that has acquired an ability to regulate its rate of combustion and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/what-if-i-am-in-some-way-only-a-sophisticated-fire-that-has-acquired/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [I know that the right kind of leader for the Labour Party is a desiccated calculating machine who must not in any way permit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneurin-bevan/i-know-that-the-right-kind-of-leader-for-the-labour-party-is-a/) [Aneurin Bevan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneurin-bevan/) > [The vanishing point leads to the missiles of today, which can take us out of this world. It could be that the west's greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/the-vanishing-point-leads-to-the-missiles-of-today-which-can-take-us/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) [Browse all 64 Combustion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combustion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The process of history is combustion.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Novalis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-process-of-history-is-combustion/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Combustion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-process-of-history-is-combustion/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/novalis-1989_history_the-process-of-history-is-combustion-198_1982204.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/novalis-1989_history_the-process-of-history-is-combustion-198_1982204.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/novalis-1989_history_the-process-of-history-is-combustion-198_1982204.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The process of history is combustion.” — Novalis", "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": "Novalis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The process of history is combustion.”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-process-of-history-is-combustion/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-process-of-history-is-combustion/#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 } } ] } ```