--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is imperfect and biased, and it…" description: "\"History is imperfect and biased, and it always, always has omissions. The most common omissions are the bits that the writer of that history took for g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/tansy-rayner-roberts-37481_always_history-is-imperfect-and-biased-and-it-a_233591.jpg" --- # History is imperfect and biased, and it always, always has… ![“History is imperfect and biased, and it always, always has omissions. The most common omissions are the bits that the writer of that history took for granted that his readers would know.” quote by Tansy Rayner Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/tansy-rayner-roberts-37481_always_history-is-imperfect-and-biased-and-it-a_233591.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/tansy-rayner-roberts-37481_always_history-is-imperfect-and-biased-and-it-a_233591.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/tansy-rayner-roberts-37481_always_history-is-imperfect-and-biased-and-it-a_233591.jpg) > “History is imperfect and biased, and it always, always has omissions. The most common omissions are the bits that the writer of that history took for granted that his readers would know.” [Tansy Rayner Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tansy-rayner-roberts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History reflects the perspectives of its creators, often leaving out what they assume readers already know. **In simple terms:** History is biased and omits assumed knowledge. Key Takeaway Question assumptions when studying history. Themes history bias perspective knowledge omission Mood reflective critical Type analytical educational When to use this quote - academic research - teaching - writing - critical reading Key Concepts historical narrative authorial intent cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you bring to historical texts? - How can we uncover hidden biases? A Different Perspective Assumptions may be accurate for contemporary audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Omissions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omissions/) [Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I feel history is more of a story than a lesson. I know this idea of presentism: this idea of constantly evoking the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarnath-banerjee/i-feel-history-is-more-of-a-story-than-a-lesson-i-know-this-idea-of/) [Sarnath Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarnath-banerjee/) > [Our history is imperfect, but it has laid the groundwork for the greatest experiment in democracy the world has ever known: America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-drew/our-history-is-imperfect-but-it-has-laid-the-groundwork-for-the/) [Jeff Van Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-drew/) > [“What shapes us is not always our achievements but our omissions. Not lies; simply the truths we don’t tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-tudor/what-shapes-us-is-not-always-our-achievements-but-our-omissions-not/) [C.J. Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-tudor/) > [Not only our actions, but also our omissions, become our destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/not-only-our-actions-but-also-our-omissions-become-our-destiny/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“He manages a sad smile. “An omission is not the same thing as a lie, Miss Bishop. It’s a manipulation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/he-manages-a-sad-smile-an-omission-is-not-the-same-thing-as-a-lie/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“Analyze and correct your past mistakes before they paralyze your future! An undiscovered error will always crave for repetition. Kick out errors; enjoy a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/analyze-and-correct-your-past-mistakes-before-they-paralyze-your/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Omissions are not accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/omissions-are-not-accidents/) [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) > [“But isn’t that the way it is with memory? 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Seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-m-a-liberal-but-i-m-not-biased-seriously/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett ## More by Tansy Rayner Roberts > [When I was thirteen years old, I didn't exactly discover epic fantasy on my own. I acquired it as a social defence mechanism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tansy-rayner-roberts/when-i-was-thirteen-years-old-i-didn-t-exactly-discover-epic-fantasy/) [Tansy Rayner Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tansy-rayner-roberts/) > [“There's something beautiful about the perfect hashtag. Never underestimate what can be accomplished with a few carefully chosen characters strung together behind a number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tansy-rayner-roberts/there-s-something-beautiful-about-the-perfect-hashtag-never/) [Tansy Rayner Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tansy-rayner-roberts/) > [“cum tantum sciat esse basiorum. 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They took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tansy-rayner-roberts/most-historians-and-other-writers-of-what-we-now-consider-primary/) [Tansy Rayner Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tansy-rayner-roberts/) [Explore all 12 Tansy Rayner Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tansy-rayner-roberts/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. 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This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. 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