--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The history of the human race doesn’t…" description: "\"“The history of the human race doesn’t make happy reading, does it? I’ve seen a lot of sadness during my time, but I’ve seen seen a lot of things that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/peter-james-11589_bad-thing_the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-ma_1424914.png" --- # The history of the human race doesn’t make happy reading… ![“The history of the human race doesn’t make happy reading, does it? I’ve seen a lot of sadness during my time, but I’ve seen seen a lot of things that have kept my faith in humanity alive too. If there were no bad things in the world, we’d have nothing to measure the good against, would we? The…” quote by Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/peter-james-11589_bad-thing_the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-ma_1424914.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/peter-james-11589_bad-thing_the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-ma_1424914.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/peter-james-11589_bad-thing_the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-ma_1424914.png) > ““The history of the human race doesn’t make happy reading, does it? I’ve seen a lot of sadness during my time, but I’ve seen seen a lot of things that have kept my faith in humanity alive too. If there were no bad things in the world, we’d have nothing to measure the good against, would we? The light can only shine in darkness.”” [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contrast between good and evil gives meaning; darkness allows light to be appreciated. **In simple terms:** Good is defined by its opposite. Key Takeaway Value positivity by recognizing its contrast. Themes good vs evil hope perspective Mood hopeful contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily life - media consumption - ethical decisions Key Concepts philosophy existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance optimism with reality? - What darkness have you learned from? A Different Perspective Too much focus on negativity can cause despair. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith in humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-in-humanity/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-must-not-lose-faith-in-humanity-humanity-is-like-an-ocean-if-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The sight of parents, children and grandparents all descending on a tented field to enjoy the pleasure of ideas and books renews my faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/the-sight-of-parents-children-and-grandparents-all-descending-on-a/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [My faith in humanity leads me to believe that people are looking for something more elevating than the sordid details of the intimate aspects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginger-rogers/my-faith-in-humanity-leads-me-to-believe-that-people-are-looking-for/) [Ginger Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginger-rogers/) > [Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/human-beings-who-are-almost-unique-in-having-the-ability-to-learn-2/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“I was swiftly losing faith in humanity. Not that I had much to spare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wildbow/i-was-swiftly-losing-faith-in-humanity-not-that-i-had-much-to-spare/) wildbow > [Don't lose faith in humanity; think of all the people in the United States who have never played you a single nasty trick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/don-t-lose-faith-in-humanity-think-of-all-the-people-in-the-united/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Cutting the space budget really restores my faith in humanity. It eliminates dreams, goals, and ideals and lets us get straight to the business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hart/cutting-the-space-budget-really-restores-my-faith-in-humanity-it/) [Johnny Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hart/) > [If a heartfelt apology on Twitter isn't enough to restore some small semblance of faith in humanity, I don't know what is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-keilar/if-a-heartfelt-apology-on-twitter-isn-t-enough-to-restore-some-small/) [Brianna Keilar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-keilar/) > [Restored my faith in humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/restored-my-faith-in-humanity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I didn’t have much faith in humanity before. I have even less faith now that the world has sh\*t the bed.” – character quote”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cormier/i-didn-t-have-much-faith-in-humanity-before-i-have-even-less-faith/) [Andrew Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cormier/) > [It's because of certain people why I have no faith in humanity...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-because-of-certain-people-why-i-have-no-faith-in-humanity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you read the news, and you see all this bad stuff happening, there's a tendency to lose faith in humanity. But I meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-galecki/when-you-read-the-news-and-you-see-all-this-bad-stuff-happening-there/) [Johnny Galecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-galecki/) > [“When a writer uses his secret wounds as his starting point, he is, whether he is aware of it or not, putting great faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-jackson/when-a-writer-uses-his-secret-wounds-as-his-starting-point-he-is/) Michael D. Jackson > [“When a bad experience shakes your faith in humanity, hold those depressing thoughts and ask yourself. 1. How many things in life have you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drishti-bablani/when-a-bad-experience-shakes-your-faith-in-humanity-hold-those/) [Drishti Bablani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drishti-bablani/) > [Real 'imaan' is faith in humanity, so those who deny goodness are kafirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asghar-ali-engineer/real-imaan-is-faith-in-humanity-so-those-who-deny-goodness-are-kafirs/) [Asghar Ali Engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asghar-ali-engineer/) ## More by Peter James > [We're full of electricity, and the walls and floor of a building contain carbon - the same makeup as a video tape - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/we-re-full-of-electricity-and-the-walls-and-floor-of-a-building/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [“banshee continued, mixed with terrified”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/banshee-continued-mixed-with-terrified/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [I like dogs. Dogs don't judge people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/i-like-dogs-dogs-don-t-judge-people/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [“The world is a dangerous place (...) There will always be blurred boundaries. There are plenty of good bad guys and bad good guys.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/the-world-is-a-dangerous-place-there-will-always-be-blurred/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [Almost every officer is going to put their life on the line at some point in their career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/almost-every-officer-is-going-to-put-their-life-on-the-line-at-some/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [“banks, Cyber Scan fast scan and search – including all mobile frequencies. Scanning and search speed is 45 channels or increments”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/banks-cyber-scan-fast-scan-and-search-including-all-mobile/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [“All men lie. That's how they operate. if you want a longterm relationship with a man you've got to understand it's going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/all-men-lie-that-s-how-they-operate-if-you-want-a-longterm/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [“Sure you’re not going to miss it, Roy?’ ‘I’ll miss the camaraderie, but not the politics. Too much of that, these days. Know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/sure-you-re-not-going-to-miss-it-roy-i-ll-miss-the-camaraderie-but/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [“Folks called this city Tinseltown because so much here was a glittery illusion where, like the facelifts of fading stars, nothing was permanent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/folks-called-this-city-tinseltown-because-so-much-here-was-a-glittery/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [I travel abroad constantly on book promotion and research, and the Internet is invaluable to me for accessing U.K. news in places such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/i-travel-abroad-constantly-on-book-promotion-and-research-and-the/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [My day starts with Radio 4's Today live or 'listen again' wherever I am in the world, thanks to digital radio - I even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/my-day-starts-with-radio-4-s-today-live-or-listen-again-wherever-i-am/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [“I'm sure that's when you really know you are happy - when you wake up wanting to embrace your future, rather than trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/i-m-sure-that-s-when-you-really-know-you-are-happy-when-you-wake-up/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [Most good police officers are very open-minded. The bad ones are the ones who are close-minded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/most-good-police-officers-are-very-open-minded-the-bad-ones-are-the/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [Obviously I don't have whatever it is you need to be a successful writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/obviously-i-don-t-have-whatever-it-is-you-need-to-be-a-successful/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [There's no question that ghosts exist. The big question for me is whether ghosts are simply electronic imprints left in the walls or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/there-s-no-question-that-ghosts-exist-the-big-question-for-me-is/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) [Explore all 58 Peter James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) ## More Bad thing quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [I think the people I talk about are generally so stupid that they don't even know I'm saying bad things about them. I've run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-think-the-people-i-talk-about-are-generally-so-stupid-that-they-don/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/) [Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. You have to be sure about yourself and about your work and your career,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-shayk/in-my-business-you-should-be-very-strong-in-mind-you-have-to-be-sure/) [Irina Shayk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-shayk/) > [“I don’t know why I latched onto the idea of being friends, but it sits right with my gut. I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/) [Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/) > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. Don't be hardheaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-williams-garcia/dear-delphine-when-you-are-older-i-want-you-to-find-chinua-achebe-i/) [Rita Williams-Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-williams-garcia/) > [Lobbying is not a bad thing. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't have lobbyists or we shouldn't have lobbying to petition our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/lobbying-is-not-a-bad-thing-i-m-not-trying-to-say-that-we-shouldn-t/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The history of the human race doesn’t make happy reading, does it? I’ve seen a lot of sadness during my time, but I’ve seen seen a lot of things that have kept my faith in humanity alive too. If there were no bad things in the world, we’d have nothing to measure the good against, would we? The light can only shine in darkness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-make-happy-reading-does-it-i-ve/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad thing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-make-happy-reading-does-it-i-ve/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/peter-james-11589_bad-thing_the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-ma_1424914.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/peter-james-11589_bad-thing_the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-ma_1424914.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/peter-james-11589_bad-thing_the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-ma_1424914.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The history of the human race doesn’t make happy reading, does it? I’ve seen a lot of sadness during my…” — Peter James", "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": "Peter James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The history of the human race...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-make-happy-reading-does-it-i-ve/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/the-history-of-the-human-race-doesn-t-make-happy-reading-does-it-i-ve/#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 } } ] } ```