--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People need their history like they need…" description: "\"People need their history like they need air and food.\" — Randall Robinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/randall-robinson-16024_air_people-need-their-history-like-they-need_2304006.png" --- # People need their history like they need air and food. ![“People need their history like they need air and food.” quote by Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/randall-robinson-16024_air_people-need-their-history-like-they-need_2304006.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/randall-robinson-16024_air_people-need-their-history-like-they-need_2304006.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/randall-robinson-16024_air_people-need-their-history-like-they-need_2304006.png) > “People need their history like they need air and food.” [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans require understanding their past as essential as basic sustenance. **In simple terms:** History is as vital as air and food. Key Takeaway Study history to thrive. Themes identity culture learning Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education - policy making - personal growth Key Concepts historical awareness self‑knowledge Questions to Reflect On - How does knowing history shape your choices? - What lessons are we missing? A Different Perspective History alone cannot solve present problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-like/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Need Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-air-656682/) [Need History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-history-1723869/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-need/) ## Related quotes > [Men need history; it helps them to have an idea of who they are. But history, like sanctity, can reside in the heart; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/men-need-history-it-helps-them-to-have-an-idea-of-who-they-are-but/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [“People need history in order to know themselves, to build a sense of identity and pride, continuity, community, and hope for the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/people-need-history-in-order-to-know-themselves-to-build-a-sense-of/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [People need meaning as much as they need air. Lucky for us, we can give meaning to each other for free. Just by being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/people-need-meaning-as-much-as-they-need-air-lucky-for-us-we-can-give/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“There are a lot of people like me, people who need books the way they need air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marek/there-are-a-lot-of-people-like-me-people-who-need-books-the-way-they/) [Richard Marek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marek/) > [Home is where I am. Sadly, I don't need a history to be able to exist somewhere. When I was still very young, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hunger/home-is-where-i-am-sadly-i-don-t-need-a-history-to-be-able-to-exist-2/) [Sophie Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hunger/) > [We have need of history in its entirety, not to fall back into it, but to see if we can escape from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/we-have-need-of-history-in-its-entirety-not-to-fall-back-into-it-but/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [We need history, not to tell us what happened or to explain the past, but to make the past alive so that it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/we-need-history-not-to-tell-us-what-happened-or-to-explain-the-past/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [“People wait until they have a need for some history and then they customize it to suit their purposes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/people-wait-until-they-have-a-need-for-some-history-and-then-they/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [Home is where I am. Sadly, I don't need a history to be able to exist somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hunger/home-is-where-i-am-sadly-i-don-t-need-a-history-to-be-able-to-exist/) [Sophie Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hunger/) > [There's a need to keep the history of an artform going, parallel with the new work that's being done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-price/there-s-a-need-to-keep-the-history-of-an-artform-going-parallel-with/) [Hal Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-price/) > [I think that we need history as much as we need bread or water or love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/i-think-that-we-need-history-as-much-as-we-need-bread-or-water-or-love/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson-2/we-should-emphasize-not-negro-history-but-the-negro-in-history-what/) [Carter G Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson-2/) > [Oh, baby, I'll try to make the things right I need you more than air when I'm not with you. Please don't ask me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-maya/oh-baby-i-ll-try-to-make-the-things-right-i-need-you-more-than-air/) [Edward Maya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-maya/) > [I need some air. I'm still feeling a tad... dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah/i-need-some-air-i-m-still-feeling-a-tad-dead/) [Elijah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah/) > [Raging and having good feelings and having fun is something I plan on doing and spreading across the world. I just need air and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-scott/raging-and-having-good-feelings-and-having-fun-is-something-i-plan-on/) [Travis Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-scott/) ## More by Randall Robinson > [I'm aware that because America is so powerful - with its tentacles reaching out to the world - one doesn't escape it by leaving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-m-aware-that-because-america-is-so-powerful-with-its-tentacles/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Democracy requires that if you who don't like the outcome of elections you have to tolerate it and then pursue your interest the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/democracy-requires-that-if-you-who-don-t-like-the-outcome-of/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Black people in America have to, for their own protection, develop a defense mechanism, and I just grew terribly tired of it. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/black-people-in-america-have-to-for-their-own-protection-develop-a/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Whites have more than eleven times the net worth or wealth of African Americans. They make greater salaries. Our unemployment rate is twice theirs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/whites-have-more-than-eleven-times-the-net-worth-or-wealth-of-african/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [“Unbalanced power poisons introspection. In its vacated space lay living society's imperative questions, unseen, unphrased, unasked, unanswered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/unbalanced-power-poisons-introspection-in-its-vacated-space-lay/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I think people involved with institutions find it harder to know the time to go than the time to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-think-people-involved-with-institutions-find-it-harder-to-know-the/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I've never had any trouble opposing people I've been close to. I've never worried about offending or bothering people I feel strongly about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-ve-never-had-any-trouble-opposing-people-i-ve-been-close-to-i-ve/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Reagan was conservative, but he didn't approach global management with an unbending religious zeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/reagan-was-conservative-but-he-didn-t-approach-global-management-with/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [The whole future of America's black community is at risk. One out of every three young black men in Washington, D.C., is under one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/the-whole-future-of-america-s-black-community-is-at-risk-one-out-of/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I don't know of any situation where you're going to have an officeholder in a country of eight million people who's cut off at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-don-t-know-of-any-situation-where-you-re-going-to-have-an/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [We all have to die, and I preferred to have just one death. It seems to me that to suffer insult without response is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/we-all-have-to-die-and-i-preferred-to-have-just-one-death-it-seems-to/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I got a chance to be in a society where the barriers between classes - social and economic - are not insuperable, where money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-got-a-chance-to-be-in-a-society-where-the-barriers-between-classes/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I've always thought I had pretty good instincts for people. There is a short list of people I've worked with over my career with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-ve-always-thought-i-had-pretty-good-instincts-for-people-there-is-a/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Americans don't bother to notice anybody else in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/americans-don-t-bother-to-notice-anybody-else-in-the-world/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world: two million people. One out of every eight prisoners in the world is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/the-u-s-has-the-largest-prison-population-in-the-world-two-million/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) [Explore all 41 Randall Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. 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