---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Look, you think I like history because…"
description: "\"“Look, you think I like history because I’m fascinated with the possibilities, with how it could have happened, but you’re wrong. I like it because it’..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/rebecca-serle-4076_history_look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i_1089810.jpg"
---

#  Look, you think I like history because I’m fascinated with…

![“Look, you think I like history because I’m fascinated with the possibilities, with how it could have happened, but you’re wrong. I like it because it’s the one thing we actually know in life. The past is the only thing we can count on. The present? The future? They’re anyone’s guess.” quote by Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/rebecca-serle-4076_history_look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i_1089810.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/rebecca-serle-4076_history_look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i_1089810.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/rebecca-serle-4076_history_look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i_1089810.jpg)

> ““Look, you think I like history because I’m fascinated with the possibilities, with how it could have happened, but you’re wrong. I like it because it’s the one thing we actually know in life. The past is the only thing we can count on. The present? The future? They’re anyone’s guess.””

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker values history because it provides concrete facts, unlike the uncertain present and future which are speculative.

**In simple terms:** History offers certainty; present and future are uncertain.

Key Takeaway

Rely on known facts, question assumptions.

Themes

knowledge certainty history

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- research
- decision making
- risk assessment
- storytelling

Key Concepts

epistemology temporal perspective

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance facts with speculation?
- What role does uncertainty play in your choices?

A Different Perspective

History can be selective and incomplete, not always reliable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [That period of history has always fascinated me - Greek history, Greek mythology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/that-period-of-history-has-always-fascinated-me-greek-history-greek/)

[Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/)

> [History has always fascinated me. Coming from a family that has it's own regal history, I always like places that have a rich past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soha-ali-khan/history-has-always-fascinated-me-coming-from-a-family-that-has-it-s/)

[Soha Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soha-ali-khan/)

> [I became almost immediately fascinated by the possibilities of trying out all conceivable reactions with them, some leading to explosions, others to unbearable poisoning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ernst/i-became-almost-immediately-fascinated-by-the-possibilities-of-trying/)

[Richard Ernst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ernst/)

> [I'm fascinated by the possibilities of human behavior, of how two people raised the same way can end up at such different places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gass-donnelly/i-m-fascinated-by-the-possibilities-of-human-behavior-of-how-two/)

[Ed Gass-Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gass-donnelly/)

> [When I was younger, I would look at a game with computers and still be fascinated by the possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hikaru-nakamura/when-i-was-younger-i-would-look-at-a-game-with-computers-and-still-be/)

[Hikaru Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hikaru-nakamura/)

> [If you don't like us, don't accept our invitations and don't invite us to come to see you. Whether you like it or not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/if-you-don-t-like-us-don-t-accept-our-invitations-and-don-t-invite-us/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [Re-recording 'Naino mein sapna' for me was like being a part of history. Never before has a son sung the same song in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-khan/re-recording-naino-mein-sapna-for-me-was-like-being-a-part-of-history/)

[Sajid Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-khan/)

> [The word "story" is short for the word "history." They both have the same root and fundamentally mean the same thing. A story is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-kouzes/the-word-story-is-short-for-the-word-history-they-both-have-the-same/)

[James M. Kouzes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-kouzes/)

> [Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you! -Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/call-of-duty/whether-you-like-it-or-not-history-is-on-our-side-we-will-bury-you/)

Call Of Duty

> [I love people, I love studying people more than history. So whatever situation I see, then I look at, what were the people like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-quinn/i-love-people-i-love-studying-people-more-than-history-so-whatever/)

[Colin Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-quinn/)

> [I'm from Arizona where I feel like our history, as a state, is so young in comparison to some of these wonderful southern cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-m-from-arizona-where-i-feel-like-our-history-as-a-state-is-so-young/)

[Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/)

> [Sometimes, we should know that ex is like a history. A history is a past. That certain people will never forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakay-kaichi/sometimes-we-should-know-that-ex-is-like-a-history-a-history-is-a/)

Shakay Kaichi

> [If things continue like this, the history of our age may one day be written under a caliphate's supervision .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-selbourne/if-things-continue-like-this-the-history-of-our-age-may-one-day-be/)

David Selbourne

> [Once I beat Gervonta Davis like I've been calling it, that's going to be like history repeats itself with Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-garcia/once-i-beat-gervonta-davis-like-i-ve-been-calling-it-that-s-going-to/)

[Ryan Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-garcia/)

> [History is full of people who thought they were right -- absolutely right, completely right, without a shadow of a doubt. And because history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/history-is-full-of-people-who-thought-they-were-right-absolutely/)

[John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/)

## More by Rebecca Serle

> [I love that the collapse of The Other Side is being felt in both 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'The Originals' universes - as someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/i-love-that-the-collapse-of-the-other-side-is-being-felt-in-both-the/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> ['Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte has been my all-time favorite book since I was in middle school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/wuthering-heights-by-emily-bronte-has-been-my-all-time-favorite-book/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [My first book, 'When You Were Mine,' got optioned for film and went into preproduction as 'Rosaline.' That was the classic model: Hollywood calls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/my-first-book-when-you-were-mine-got-optioned-for-film-and-went-into/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> ['Ready Player One' has it all - nostalgia, trivia, adventure, romance, heart, and, dare I say it, some very fascinating social commentary. The novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/ready-player-one-has-it-all-nostalgia-trivia-adventure-romance-heart/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [By refusing to lend a hand, we are not only robbing our colleagues and peers of the opportunity to gain guidance, but we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/by-refusing-to-lend-a-hand-we-are-not-only-robbing-our-colleagues-and/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [I've said it before, and I'll say it again: writing picture books is an art - the art of word choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-ll-say-it-again-writing-picture-books-is-an/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [When someone around you succeeds, it does not mean they've taken that spot from you. What it means is that you are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/when-someone-around-you-succeeds-it-does-not-mean-they-ve-taken-that/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [American fantasy is not a genre we think about too often. Sure, we are familiar with the worlds of English boarding school houses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/american-fantasy-is-not-a-genre-we-think-about-too-often-sure-we-are/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [“No one ever died from having too much information. It’s the misunderstandings that are the problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/no-one-ever-died-from-having-too-much-information-it-s-the/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [“They died together; they'll always be remembered together. It's decided, once and for all. He was hers. The rumors don't matter; they'll fade...People may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/they-died-together-they-ll-always-be-remembered-together-it-s-decided/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [So many tend to brand the Internet as the downfall of youth, but 'Ready Player One' hints that it's more complicated than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/so-many-tend-to-brand-the-internet-as-the-downfall-of-youth-but-ready/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [At its heart, 'Mostly Good Girls' is about the pressures we put on ourselves to live up to ideas of perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/at-its-heart-mostly-good-girls-is-about-the-pressures-we-put-on/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [Of course YA authors have a responsibility to their audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/of-course-ya-authors-have-a-responsibility-to-their-audience/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [The adult fiction and writing for children portions of my MFA program were kept very separate, and there was a stigma around those 'kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/the-adult-fiction-and-writing-for-children-portions-of-my-mfa-program/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

> [“It’s not that most girls are delusional, per se. It’s just that they have this subtle ability to warp actual circumstances into something different.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/it-s-not-that-most-girls-are-delusional-per-se-it-s-just-that-they/)

[Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

[Explore all 116 Rebecca Serle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/)

## More History quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/)

[Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/)

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' 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": "“Look, you think I like history because I’m fascinated with the possibilities, with how it could have happened, but you’re wrong. I like it because it’s the one thing we actually know in life. The past is the only thing we can count on. The present? The future? They’re anyone’s guess.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rebecca Serle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i-m-fascinated-with-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "History"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i-m-fascinated-with-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/rebecca-serle-4076_history_look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i_1089810.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/rebecca-serle-4076_history_look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i_1089810.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/rebecca-serle-4076_history_look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i_1089810.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Look, you think I like history because I’m fascinated with the possibilities, with how it could have…” — Rebecca Serle",
                "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": "Rebecca Serle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Look, you think I like history...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i-m-fascinated-with-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/look-you-think-i-like-history-because-i-m-fascinated-with-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
