Adequate Quote by Thomas Cahill
“We normally think of history as one catastrophe after another, war followed by war, outrage by outrage - almost as if history were nothing more than all the narratives of human pain, assembled in sequence. And surely this is, often enough, an adequate description. But history is also the narratives of grace, the recountings of those blessed and inexplicable moments when someone did something for someone else, saved a life, bestowed a gift, gave something beyond what was required by circumstance.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Gift of God, Thomas Cahill, 2002
History is often seen as a series of tragedies, but it also contains moments of grace and altruism that reveal humanity’s capacity for good.
In simple terms: History includes both tragedy and grace.
Key Takeaway
Seek and honor acts of kindness in history.
Themes
history
humanity
grace
Mood
hopeful
reflective
Type
historical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education
- storytelling
- social studies
Key Concepts
narrative
altruism
contrast
Questions to Reflect On
- What acts of grace have you witnessed?
- How can we amplify stories of kindness?
A Different Perspective
Focusing only on tragedy can lead to cynicism.
![“I think history has shown that the worst way to [try to] bring people over and actually change public opinion is by insult and applied degradation of them.” quote by E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4a1/e-o-wilson-1348_degradation_i-think-history-has-shown-that-the-worst_257290.jpg)
