---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men are not the causers of history…"
description: "\"Men are not the causers of history. History itself, by a pressure of events, causes men to resort to particular actions.\" — Tanith Lee"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/tanith-lee-3374_action_men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-histo_1587884.jpg"
---

#  Men are not the causers of history. History itself, by a…

![“Men are not the causers of history. History itself, by a pressure of events, causes men to resort to particular actions.” quote by Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/tanith-lee-3374_action_men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-histo_1587884.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/tanith-lee-3374_action_men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-histo_1587884.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/tanith-lee-3374_action_men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-histo_1587884.jpg)

> “Men are not the causers of history. History itself, by a pressure of events, causes men to resort to particular actions.”

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

## About This Quote

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

History shapes human actions more than individuals shape history; people respond to forces beyond their control.

**In simple terms:** History drives people, not people drive history.

Key Takeaway

Recognize external forces influencing decisions.

Themes

history determinism agency cause and effect

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical historical educational

When to use this quote

- political analysis
- personal decision making
- strategic planning
- education curricula
- media commentary

Key Concepts

social forces historical determinism human agency

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you see history influencing your choices?
- Can you identify a moment when you shaped events?

A Different Perspective

Individuals can still influence outcomes despite larger forces.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Causers History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causers-history-6011556/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Causes Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-men-502385/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Events Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events-causes-6011557/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-history/) [History Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-pressure-6011555/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Resorts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resorts/)

## Related quotes

> [ I'd love to be able to write an in-depth piece of what causes men like \[Richard\] Nixon and \[H.R.\]Haldeman and \[John\] Ehrlichman and all… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-d-love-to-be-able-to-write-an-in-depth-piece-of-what-causes-men/)

[Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/)

> [Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/adversity-causes-some-men-to-break-others-to-break-records/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [“Perhaps that is why desire causes men calamity. By identifying with our desires and taking them too seriously, we not only increase our susceptibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/perhaps-that-is-why-desire-causes-men-calamity-by-identifying-with/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [One of the things I know from the study of history is that history surprises you. History is not written. It's not inevitable.The victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/one-of-the-things-i-know-from-the-study-of-history-is-that-history/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I got a history a history I wont tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/i-got-a-history-a-history-i-wont-tell/)

[Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/)

> [We are not makers of history. We are made by history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-are-not-makers-of-history-we-are-made-by-history/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [“Not that anybody cares two pins about history in these days.We've got rid of history; history is all my eye. But I've got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-dickson/not-that-anybody-cares-two-pins-about-history-in-these-days-we-ve-got/)

[Carter Dickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-dickson/)

> [“My history is the history of things imagined and not-happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-pink/my-history-is-the-history-of-things-imagined-and-not-happened/)

[Sam Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-pink/)

> [History has been the history of warfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/godfrey-reggio/history-has-been-the-history-of-warfare/)

[Godfrey Reggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/godfrey-reggio/)

> [The most important history is the history we make today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/the-most-important-history-is-the-history-we-make-today/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [All history is an attempt to find pattern and meaning in a section of human experience, and every historian worthy of the name raises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-b-caird/all-history-is-an-attempt-to-find-pattern-and-meaning-in-a-section-of/)

[G. B. Caird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-b-caird/)

> [“These relics have a history then?' 'So much so that they are history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/these-relics-have-a-history-then-so-much-so-that-they-are-history/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [You might say that economic history is the history of people learning to manage risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/you-might-say-that-economic-history-is-the-history-of-people-learning/)

[James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/)

> [I'm a person who enjoys history, and history is very important to us - very very important it's about making judgement on history. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/i-m-a-person-who-enjoys-history-and-history-is-very-important-to-us/)

[Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/)

> [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/)

## More by Tanith Lee

> [No one more cynical than an idealist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/no-one-more-cynical-than-an-idealist/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [The humble were the elect of God. Did not the priests teach so, in their gemmed, kingly robes, from their towering pulpits?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/the-humble-were-the-elect-of-god-did-not-the-priests-teach-so-in/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [“Having told of so much beauty, how is it possible to tell of her? There are no words left on the earth in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/having-told-of-so-much-beauty-how-is-it-possible-to-tell-of-her-there/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [As a child, my mother told me lots of fairy stories, many her own invention. She, too, tended to reverse the norm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/as-a-child-my-mother-told-me-lots-of-fairy-stories-many-her-own/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [“Often misunderstood, Dionysus is far more than a wine deity. He is the Breaker of Chains, who rescues not only the flesh but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/often-misunderstood-dionysus-is-far-more-than-a-wine-deity-he-is-the/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [In the usual way I submitted manuscripts to publishers. This was not so much a feeling that I should be published as a wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/in-the-usual-way-i-submitted-manuscripts-to-publishers-this-was-not/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [Whatever the hell I am, I am Me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/whatever-the-hell-i-am-i-am-me/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [If they had said my writing wasn't good enough, fair enough, that's an opinion. But to say it's too complex is to insult the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/if-they-had-said-my-writing-wasn-t-good-enough-fair-enough-that-s-an/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [“Louisa beheld the grounds and house with the calm pleasure of one who has seen nothing, been nowhere, expects everything, and has little imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/louisa-beheld-the-grounds-and-house-with-the-calm-pleasure-of-one-who/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [“Live and let love. Love and let go. Go live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/live-and-let-love-love-and-let-go-go-live/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [Pirates have always fascinated me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/pirates-have-always-fascinated-me/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [“All the Scarabae—all but one—were crowded in the garden. They watched her. Their grim old faces gave away nothing. Like elderly kiddies at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/all-the-scarabae-all-but-one-were-crowded-in-the-garden-they-watched/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [“She did this not out of fear of him, but out of pity. Because she had come to see the ultimate terrible truth behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/she-did-this-not-out-of-fear-of-him-but-out-of-pity-because-she-had/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [Writing is writing, and stories are stories. Perhaps the only true genres are fiction and nonfiction. And even there, who can be sure?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/writing-is-writing-and-stories-are-stories-perhaps-the-only-true/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [“Tanaquil gently toed the peeve. "I'll unfasten the window. Jump out to the lower roof and run." "Stay and bite," said the peeve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/tanaquil-gently-toed-the-peeve-i-ll-unfasten-the-window-jump-out-to/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

[Explore all 131 Tanith Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

## More Action quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [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/)

> [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/)

[Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/)

[Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/)

> [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/)

[Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

[Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Men are not the causers of history. History itself, by a pressure of events, causes men to resort to particular actions.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tanith Lee"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-history-itself-by-a-pressure-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Action"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-history-itself-by-a-pressure-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/tanith-lee-3374_action_men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-histo_1587884.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/tanith-lee-3374_action_men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-histo_1587884.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/tanith-lee-3374_action_men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-histo_1587884.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Men are not the causers of history. History itself, by a pressure of events, causes men to resort to…” — Tanith Lee",
                "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": "Tanith Lee",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Men are not the causers of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-history-itself-by-a-pressure-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/men-are-not-the-causers-of-history-history-itself-by-a-pressure-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
