--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's despicable. I also think…" description: "\"I think it's despicable. I also think it's frightening that we seem to live through history over and over again. And I don't know if I'm the only one. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/trevor-noah-1603_book_i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it_1726699.jpg" --- # I think it's despicable. I also think it's frightening… ![“I think it's despicable. I also think it's frightening that we seem to live through history over and over again. And I don't know if I'm the only one. I feel like, when you read through history books, you always judge those people in that time.” quote by Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/trevor-noah-1603_book_i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it_1726699.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/trevor-noah-1603_book_i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it_1726699.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/trevor-noah-1603_book_i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it_1726699.jpg) > “I think it's despicable. I also think it's frightening that we seem to live through history over and over again. And I don't know if I'm the only one. I feel like, when you read through history books, you always judge those people in that time.” [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History repeats, and we judge past people without recognizing similar patterns today, which is both distressing and unsettling. **In simple terms:** History repeats, making us uneasy. Key Takeaway Learn from history to avoid repeating mistakes. Themes history repetition self‑reflection Mood thoughtful concerned Type cultural philosophical When to use this quote - education - media consumption - public discourse Key Concepts collective memory critical analysis empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can we view history more objectively? - What lessons can we apply now? A Different Perspective Our perspective may be biased by presentism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Despicable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despicable/) [Despicable Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despicable-think-1389776/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-books/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Read History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-history/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Think Despicable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-despicable-1389777/) [Think Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-frightening-875443/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I think it's despicable to be on display and a fashion showoff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-darrieux/i-think-it-s-despicable-to-be-on-display-and-a-fashion-showoff/) [Danielle Darrieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-darrieux/) > [I went to a white school over here in Mason, Michigan. The white man made the mistake of letting me read his history books.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-went-to-a-white-school-over-here-in-mason-michigan-the-white-man/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I just read history books. I read nothing but history books. They have so much to give; I wish I'd majored in history in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/i-just-read-history-books-i-read-nothing-but-history-books-they-have/) [James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/) > [Why would I talk about the past when I got a bright future? What kind of money is the past gonna make me? Everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/why-would-i-talk-about-the-past-when-i-got-a-bright-future-what-kind/) [Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/) > [“Many people read History books but it takes just a few people to LEAD the cause that will shape the course of HISTORY.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fela-durotoye/many-people-read-history-books-but-it-takes-just-a-few-people-to-lead/) [Fela Durotoye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fela-durotoye/) > [The people who read the history books tend to have a natural zeal and are alarmingly well-read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/the-people-who-read-the-history-books-tend-to-have-a-natural-zeal-and/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [If you read all your history books, there are no women in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/if-you-read-all-your-history-books-there-are-no-women-in-them/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I love to read history books, which is where I get my ideas. I also read historical romance for pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-henley/i-love-to-read-history-books-which-is-where-i-get-my-ideas-i-also/) [Virginia Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-henley/) > [My take is that there's two ways to approach history. You sit in your armchair and you watch it on the news and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/my-take-is-that-there-s-two-ways-to-approach-history-you-sit-in-your/) [Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/) > [If you think you have it tough, read history books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/if-you-think-you-have-it-tough-read-history-books/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [All my life, I never believed most things I read in history books and a lot of things I learned in school. But now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/all-my-life-i-never-believed-most-things-i-read-in-history-books-and/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [But nothing is solid and permanent. Our lives are raised on the shakiest foundations. You don't need to read history books to know that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/but-nothing-is-solid-and-permanent-our-lives-are-raised-on-the/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [The white man made the mistake of letting me read his history books. He made the mistake of teaching me that Patrick Henry was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-white-man-made-the-mistake-of-letting-me-read-his-history-books/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Life is a wonderful thing to talk about, or to read about in history books - but it is terrible when one has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anouilh/life-is-a-wonderful-thing-to-talk-about-or-to-read-about-in-history/) [Jean Anouilh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anouilh/) > [I think one of the very frightening things about the regime of the National Socialists is that it made people happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/i-think-one-of-the-very-frightening-things-about-the-regime-of-the/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) ## More by Trevor Noah > [“My family had been denied the things his family had taken for granted. I had a natural talent for selling to people, but without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/my-family-had-been-denied-the-things-his-family-had-taken-for-granted/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [When you see someone as a human being, you begin to understand most people are doing what they believe is right. I ask myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/when-you-see-someone-as-a-human-being-you-begin-to-understand-most/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I guess that is the strange part of the human brain that people have studied for eons - is hatred and self-hatred. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-guess-that-is-the-strange-part-of-the-human-brain-that-people-have/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [“Whilst my mother couldn't give me access to the world, she at least made sure to let me know it existed. A kid cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/whilst-my-mother-couldn-t-give-me-access-to-the-world-she-at-least/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [“When you make the effort to speak someone else’s language, even if it’s just basic phrases here and there, you are saying to them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/when-you-make-the-effort-to-speak-someone-else-s-language-even-if-it/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I want to be in a position where I get to start off fresh. I don't have any preconceived notion of how I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-want-to-be-in-a-position-where-i-get-to-start-off-fresh-i-don-t/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [It's very rare to find a place where news itself has a political bent. Normally, let's say in the U.K. for instance, newspapers might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/it-s-very-rare-to-find-a-place-where-news-itself-has-a-political-bent/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [ I was lucky to come along for the ride. \[My mother\] really is an amazing woman. And the world we lived in in South… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-was-lucky-to-come-along-for-the-ride-my-mother-really-is-an-amazing/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [When I first came to the U.S. - because I do accents and I've traveled the world. I have friends of almost every single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/when-i-first-came-to-the-u-s-because-i-do-accents-and-i-ve-traveled/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [If the police believed that they were planning any form of resistance against the state, then you were just gone. Nobody knew where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/if-the-police-believed-that-they-were-planning-any-form-of-resistance/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [“I remember the thing that caused the trauma, but I don't hold on to the trauma. I never let the memory of something painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-remember-the-thing-that-caused-the-trauma-but-i-don-t-hold-on-to/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [“Language brings with it an identity and a culture, or at least the perception of it. A shared language says “We’re the same.” A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/language-brings-with-it-an-identity-and-a-culture-or-at-least-the/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [My mom would spend a week in jail. She would spend a day in jail here - a week again, a week and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/my-mom-would-spend-a-week-in-jail-she-would-spend-a-day-in-jail-here/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I knew of like - I remember, for most of my life, I grew up, and "Knight Rider" was, you know - David Hasselhoff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-knew-of-like-i-remember-for-most-of-my-life-i-grew-up-and-knight/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [“The hood was strangely comforting, but comfort can be dangerous. Comfort provides a floor but also a ceiling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/the-hood-was-strangely-comforting-but-comfort-can-be-dangerous/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) [Explore all 224 Trevor Noah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it's despicable. I also think it's frightening that we seem to live through history over and over again. And I don't know if I'm the only one. I feel like, when you read through history books, you always judge those people in that time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Trevor Noah" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it-s-frightening-that-we-seem-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it-s-frightening-that-we-seem-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/trevor-noah-1603_book_i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it_1726699.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/trevor-noah-1603_book_i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it_1726699.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2a/trevor-noah-1603_book_i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it_1726699.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it's despicable. I also think it's frightening that we seem to live through history over and over…” — Trevor Noah", "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": "Trevor Noah", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think it's despicable. I also...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it-s-frightening-that-we-seem-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-s-despicable-i-also-think-it-s-frightening-that-we-seem-to/#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 } } ] } ```