--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a natural tendency to sanitize…" description: "\"There's a natural tendency to sanitize and polish any historical icon whether it be George Washington chopping down the cherry tree or Martin Luther Ki..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/taylor-branch-39954_cherries_there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-a_1176679.jpg" --- # There's a natural tendency to sanitize and polish any… ![“There's a natural tendency to sanitize and polish any historical icon whether it be George Washington chopping down the cherry tree or Martin Luther King saying, "I have a dream."” quote by Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/taylor-branch-39954_cherries_there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-a_1176679.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/taylor-branch-39954_cherries_there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-a_1176679.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/taylor-branch-39954_cherries_there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-a_1176679.jpg) > “There's a natural tendency to sanitize and polish any historical icon whether it be George Washington chopping down the cherry tree or Martin Luther King saying, "I have a dream."” [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical figures are often idealized, erasing flaws and simplifying narratives. **In simple terms:** Avoid mythologizing history. Key Takeaway Seek nuanced, truthful historical understanding. Themes history mythmaking critical thinking culture Mood thoughtful analytical Type historical critical When to use this quote - museum exhibits - educational curricula - media analysis Key Concepts hero worship revisionism public memory Questions to Reflect On - How does mythologizing affect current social issues? - What benefits come from confronting historical complexities? A Different Perspective Simplifying history can erase lessons from past mistakes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cherry trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cherry-trees/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Icons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/icons/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) ## Related quotes > [I don't look at myself as a historical icon, but the reality of it is, yeah, I am playing for history now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sampras/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-historical-icon-but-the-reality-of-it-is/) [Pete Sampras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sampras/) > [“It's good Netiquette to sanitize mobile devices, smartphones & tablets. They carry a lot of germs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chiles/it-s-good-netiquette-to-sanitize-mobile-devices-smartphones-tablets/) [David Chiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chiles/) > [To take the ugly language out of 'Ragtime' is to sanitize it, and that does it a great disservice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stokes-mitchell/to-take-the-ugly-language-out-of-ragtime-is-to-sanitize-it-and-that/) [Brian Stokes Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stokes-mitchell/) > [I request everyone to mask up, sanitize and be careful not just for yourself, but for those around you, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalsa-sharma/i-request-everyone-to-mask-up-sanitize-and-be-careful-not-just-for/) [Madalsa Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalsa-sharma/) > [No amount of false propaganda can sanitize meat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-hynde/no-amount-of-false-propaganda-can-sanitize-meat/) [Chrissie Hynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-hynde/) > [“there are people in this town who work very hard to sanitize the history of the place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-cross/there-are-people-in-this-town-who-work-very-hard-to-sanitize-the/) [Amy Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-cross/) > [“Out in the field, sitting on the grass, the hard-core omnivores are hunched around and over the cadaver of a creature they've courageously downed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mango-wodzak/out-in-the-field-sitting-on-the-grass-the-hard-core-omnivores-are/) [Mango Wodzak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mango-wodzak/) > [Only in dreams of spring Shall I ever see again The flowering of my cherry trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/only-in-dreams-of-spring-shall-i-ever-see-again-the-flowering-of-my/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/loveliest-of-trees-the-cherry-now-is-hung-with-bloom-along-the-bough/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [George Washington didn't have to make us laugh; he just had to establish precedents and avoid chopping down more cherry trees than he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/george-washington-didn-t-have-to-make-us-laugh-he-just-had-to/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [“A cold wind raced across the surrounding fields of wild grass, turning the land into a heaving dark-green ocean. It sighed up through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-beaumont/a-cold-wind-raced-across-the-surrounding-fields-of-wild-grass-turning/) [Charles Beaumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-beaumont/) > [I will bring you flowers from the mountains, bluebells, dark hazels, and rustic baskets of kisses. I want to do with you what spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/i-will-bring-you-flowers-from-the-mountains-bluebells-dark-hazels-and/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“A novel related in a dungeon, in the presence of death, cannot have the same meaning, the same consequences, as it would when read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/a-novel-related-in-a-dungeon-in-the-presence-of-death-cannot-have-the/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/i-want-to-do-to-you-what-spring-does-with-the-cherry-trees/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“They basked in the sweet-scented breeze, and felt the sunshine warming their bare heads. Petals drifted from the gnarled apple and cherry trees, creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/they-basked-in-the-sweet-scented-breeze-and-felt-the-sunshine-warming/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) ## More by Taylor Branch > [“He scolded his listeners for being eager to sell off their few productive assets in exchange for articles of prestige. “You say you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/he-scolded-his-listeners-for-being-eager-to-sell-off-their-few/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) > [And to me, that's why the civil rights era is about the future, not about the past, because it's great lessons of how citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/and-to-me-that-s-why-the-civil-rights-era-is-about-the-future-not/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) > [I think the colleges should be free to give athletes less than a full scholarship, no scholarship and more than a scholarship. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/i-think-the-colleges-should-be-free-to-give-athletes-less-than-a-full/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) > [History is the key to citizenship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/history-is-the-key-to-citizenship/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) > [Martin Luther King was never an up close and personal figure in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/martin-luther-king-was-never-an-up-close-and-personal-figure-in-the/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) > [Martin Luther King was a leader for all Americans on our own professed values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/martin-luther-king-was-a-leader-for-all-americans-on-our-own/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) > [Truth requires a maximum effort to see through the eyes of strangers, foreigners, and enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/truth-requires-a-maximum-effort-to-see-through-the-eyes-of-strangers/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) > [There are an awful lot of people who despise government precisely because it opened the door for common citizenship for people of all races…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/there-are-an-awful-lot-of-people-who-despise-government-precisely/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) > [Where race is involved, there is a pronounced and proven tendency in the United States for the majority culture to willfully misremember the history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/where-race-is-involved-there-is-a-pronounced-and-proven-tendency-in/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) > [The history of American patriotism is figuring out ways that we can work together to move forward and knit together the common government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/the-history-of-american-patriotism-is-figuring-out-ways-that-we-can/) [Taylor Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) [Explore all 11 Taylor Branch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/) ## More Cherries quotes > [Except for the scale of the operation, there was nothing unusual about Hitler's massacre of the Jews. Genocide's an old tradition, as human as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/except-for-the-scale-of-the-operation-there-was-nothing-unusual-about/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Bright reds - scarlet, pillar-box red, crimson or cherry - are very cheerful and youthful. There is certainly a red for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-dior/bright-reds-scarlet-pillar-box-red-crimson-or-cherry-are-very/) [Christian Dior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-dior/) > [It isn't called TV money for nothing. There was a time where I paid my rent by doing theater for years, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/it-isn-t-called-tv-money-for-nothing-there-was-a-time-where-i-paid-my/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [I have told you of the Spaniard who always put on his spectacles when about to eat cherries, that they might look bigger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/i-have-told-you-of-the-spaniard-who-always-put-on-his-spectacles-when/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [Well, he had two stabs at the cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-green/well-he-had-two-stabs-at-the-cherry/) [Alan Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-green/) > [Cherry Money Baby is fabulous in every sense of the word! It’s earthy and smart and moving, laugh-out-loud funny, surprising, inventive, suspenseful, and —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wynne-jones/cherry-money-baby-is-fabulous-in-every-sense-of-the-word-it-s-earthy/) [Tim Wynne-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wynne-jones/) > [I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/i-want-to-do-to-you-what-spring-does-with-the-cherry-trees/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [Science is not there for you to cherry pick ... You can decide whether or not to believe in it but that doesn’t change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-pick-you-can-decide-whether-or/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine! To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne? Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show Thy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-helena-goddess-nymph-perfect-divine-to-what-my-love-shall-i-compare/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [When wine drinkers tell me they taste notes of cherries, tobacco and rose petals, usually all I can detect is a whole lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/when-wine-drinkers-tell-me-they-taste-notes-of-cherries-tobacco-and/) [Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/) > [Americans have begun to understand that trouble does not start somewhere on the other side of town. It seems to originate inside the absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/americans-have-begun-to-understand-that-trouble-does-not-start/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [It is neither just the religious, the spiritual, the power-hungry, the evil, the ignorant, the corrupt, the Christian, the Muslim, the Hindu, the Buddhist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/it-is-neither-just-the-religious-the-spiritual-the-power-hungry-the/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [The saying "the cherry on top" is only a good metaphor if the person listening or reading actually likes cherries on top of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/the-saying-the-cherry-on-top-is-only-a-good-metaphor-if-the-person/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [“If you have ever opened a can of worms, boxed yourself into a corner, ended up in hot water, or found yourself in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryrose-wood/if-you-have-ever-opened-a-can-of-worms-boxed-yourself-into-a-corner/) [Maryrose Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryrose-wood/) > [I really liked the design aesthetic of the mid-century modern for furniture and the early '60s stuff for the clothes. But then, personally, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-reed/i-really-liked-the-design-aesthetic-of-the-mid-century-modern-for/) [Adam Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-reed/) Browse all 252 Cherries quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a natural tendency to sanitize and polish any historical icon whether it be George Washington chopping down the cherry tree or Martin Luther King saying, \"I have a dream.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Taylor Branch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-and-polish-any-historical-icon/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cherries" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-and-polish-any-historical-icon/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/taylor-branch-39954_cherries_there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-a_1176679.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/taylor-branch-39954_cherries_there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-a_1176679.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/taylor-branch-39954_cherries_there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-a_1176679.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's a natural tendency to sanitize and polish any historical icon whether it be George Washington…” — Taylor Branch", "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": "Taylor Branch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-branch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's a natural tendency to sanitize...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-and-polish-any-historical-icon/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-branch/there-s-a-natural-tendency-to-sanitize-and-polish-any-historical-icon/#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 } } ] } ```