--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If history teaches anything, it teaches…" description: "\"If history teaches anything, it teaches that self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.\" — Ronald Reagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/ronald-reagan-119_delusion_if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-t_1589274.jpg" --- # If history teaches anything, it teaches that self-delusion… ![“If history teaches anything, it teaches that self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.” quote by Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/ronald-reagan-119_delusion_if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-t_1589274.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/ronald-reagan-119_delusion_if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-t_1589274.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/ronald-reagan-119_delusion_if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-t_1589274.jpg) > “If history teaches anything, it teaches that self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.” [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History shows self‑deception about harsh realities leads to foolish decisions. **In simple terms:** Self‑deception about facts is foolish. Key Takeaway Confront uncomfortable truths. Themes politics history self‑awareness Mood cautious thoughtful Type political reflective When to use this quote - policy making - personal decision making - public discourse - education Key Concepts Leadership cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - What facts are you ignoring? - How does denial affect your choices? A Different Perspective Denial can protect ego but harms long‑term outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Facts Folly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts-folly-1060552/) [Folly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folly/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Teaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-teaches/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-delusion/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Unpleasant Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpleasant-facts-1060553/) ## Related quotes > [If history teaches anything, it teaches self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-self-delusion-in-the-face-of/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [If history teaches us anything, it teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-history-teaches-us-anything-it-teaches-that-simple-minded/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We always question the bonafides of the man who tells us unpleasant facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-always-question-the-bonafides-of-the-man-who-tells-us-unpleasant/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Again, we may decry the color-prejudice of the South, yet it remains a heavy fact. Such curious kinks of the human mind exist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/again-we-may-decry-the-color-prejudice-of-the-south-yet-it-remains-a/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [“These,” he said gravely, “are unpleasant facts; I know it. But then most historical facts are unpleasant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/these-he-said-gravely-are-unpleasant-facts-i-know-it-but-then-most/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Anybody who notices unpleasant facts in the have-a-nice-day world we live in is going to be designated a curmudgeon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fussell/anybody-who-notices-unpleasant-facts-in-the-have-a-nice-day-world-we/) [Paul Fussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fussell/) > [We have not inherited an easy world. If developments like the Industrial revolution, which began in England, and the gifts of science and technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-have-not-inherited-an-easy-world-if-developments-like-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/history-teaches-that-war-begins-when-governments-believe-the-price-of/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We cannot move casually into a better future. We cannot casually pursue the goal we have set for ourselves. A goal that is casually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/we-cannot-move-casually-into-a-better-future-we-cannot-casually/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [The most foreign fighters in Iraq are wearing British and American uniforms. The level of self-delusion is bordering frankly on the racist. The vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-galloway/the-most-foreign-fighters-in-iraq-are-wearing-british-and-american/) [George Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-galloway/) > [A direct statement about yourself is considered objective only if it is negative. If it's positive, it is considered subjective. And 'objective' means it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sher/a-direct-statement-about-yourself-is-considered-objective-only-if-it/) [Barbara Sher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sher/) > [People compose the schedules they do out of the priorities they have; and someone who says otherwise is deceiving himself about what he really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/people-compose-the-schedules-they-do-out-of-the-priorities-they-have/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [No one can genuinely love the world, which is too large to love entire. To love all the world at once is pretense or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/no-one-can-genuinely-love-the-world-which-is-too-large-to-love-entire/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I'd actually love to think that I could trust Kerry on national security. But the only way I could do that, at this point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-reynolds/i-d-actually-love-to-think-that-i-could-trust-kerry-on-national/) [Glenn Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-reynolds/) > [I have a theory about marriage, Monsieur Boustouler. And it's that nearly always you will know within two weeks if it's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-have-a-theory-about-marriage-monsieur-boustouler-and-it-s-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## More by Ronald Reagan > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/yes-across-europe-this-wall-will-fall-for-it-cannot-withstand-faith/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Simple fairness dictates that government must not raise taxes on families struggling to pay their bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/simple-fairness-dictates-that-government-must-not-raise-taxes-on/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America - our country is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-time-has-come-to-turn-to-god-and-reassert-our-trust-in-him-for/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Professional politicians like to talk about the value of experience in government. Nuts! The only experience you gain in politics is how to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/professional-politicians-like-to-talk-about-the-value-of-experience/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Where there's liberty, art succeeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/where-there-s-liberty-art-succeeds/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Since I came to the White House, I got two hearing aids, a colon operation, skin cancer, a prostate operation, and I was shot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/since-i-came-to-the-white-house-i-got-two-hearing-aids-a-colon/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne're-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/a-moment-i-ve-been-dreading-george-brought-his-ne-re-do-well-son/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [On Father's Day, we pay tribute to all in our society who have taken on the responsibilitie s and joys of fatherhood. Whether our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/on-father-s-day-we-pay-tribute-to-all-in-our-society-who-have-taken/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [It's not that liberals aren't smart, it's just that so much of what they know isn't so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/it-s-not-that-liberals-aren-t-smart-it-s-just-that-so-much-of-what/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/love-your-country-not-for-her-power-or-wealth-but-for-her/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Explore all 1,244 Ronald Reagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## More Delusion quotes > [Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-borne/getting-rid-of-a-delusion-makes-us-wiser-than-getting-hold-of-a-truth/) [Ludwig Borne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-borne/) > [If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labour, entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-the-idea-of-having-to-change-ourselves-makes-us-uncomfortable-we/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The Science Delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality in principle leaving only the details to be filled in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-sheldrake/the-science-delusion-is-the-belief-that-science-already-understands/) [Rupert Sheldrake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-sheldrake/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“we shouldn’t surrender our real world perception to a false reality too much or we may suffer the inevitable consequences of deluded thinking. Technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-p-neary/we-shouldn-t-surrender-our-real-world-perception-to-a-false-reality/) [M.P. Neary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-p-neary/) > [Atheism Explained is a gem. It is clear, informative, well-argued, provocative, often witty, and unfailingly interesting. David Ramsay Steele ranges over so many issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-shearmur/atheism-explained-is-a-gem-it-is-clear-informative-well-argued/) [Jeremy Shearmur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-shearmur/) > [It is a great delusion to suppose that flesh-meat of any kind is essential to health. Considerably more than three parts of the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-booth/it-is-a-great-delusion-to-suppose-that-flesh-meat-of-any-kind-is/) [Catherine Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-booth/) > [The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I suffer from the delusion that every product of my imagination is not only possible, but always on the cusp of becoming real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/i-suffer-from-the-delusion-that-every-product-of-my-imagination-is/) [Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/) > [I have a theory about marriage, Monsieur Boustouler. And it's that nearly always you will know within two weeks if it's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-have-a-theory-about-marriage-monsieur-boustouler-and-it-s-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Someone who has the delusion Glass, is made of, does not literally believe herself to be made of glass but rather feels fragile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/someone-who-has-the-delusion-glass-is-made-of-does-not-literally/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [Paranoia is a state of heightened awareness. Most people are persecuted beyond their wildest delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-steiner/paranoia-is-a-state-of-heightened-awareness-most-people-are/) [Claude Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-steiner/) > [Women are women, and so are men, and the delusion that we are spiritually separate from or are about to spiritually separate from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anohni/women-are-women-and-so-are-men-and-the-delusion-that-we-are/) [Anohni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anohni/) > [I'd actually love to think that I could trust Kerry on national security. But the only way I could do that, at this point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-reynolds/i-d-actually-love-to-think-that-i-could-trust-kerry-on-national/) [Glenn Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-reynolds/) [Browse all 1,172 Delusion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If history teaches anything, it teaches that self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ronald Reagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-that-self-delusion-in-the-face/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Delusion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-that-self-delusion-in-the-face/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/ronald-reagan-119_delusion_if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-t_1589274.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/ronald-reagan-119_delusion_if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-t_1589274.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/ronald-reagan-119_delusion_if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-t_1589274.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If history teaches anything, it teaches that self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.” — Ronald Reagan", "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": "Ronald Reagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If history teaches anything, it teaches...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-that-self-delusion-in-the-face/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-that-self-delusion-in-the-face/#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 } } ] } ```