--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is only the register of crimes…" description: "\"History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes.\" — Voltaire" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/voltaire-173_crimes_history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-a_1970062.png" --- # History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes. ![“History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes.” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/voltaire-173_crimes_history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-a_1970062.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/voltaire-173_crimes_history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-a_1970062.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/voltaire-173_crimes_history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-a_1970062.png) > “History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes.” [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History records humanity's repeated failures and injustices, highlighting a pattern of suffering. **In simple terms:** History shows repeated suffering. Key Takeaway Learn from past mistakes. Themes history crime misfortune human nature Mood somber reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - education - policy making - activism - journalism - legal reform Key Concepts philosophy critique cyclical patterns Questions to Reflect On - What patterns of injustice repeat today? - How can we use history to prevent future crimes? A Different Perspective Focus on successes can skew perspective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crimes/) [Crimes Misfortunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crimes-misfortunes-648786/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Register](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-register-3303604/) [Misfortunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfortunes/) [Register](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/register/) [Register Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/register-crimes-3303605/) ## Related quotes > [Indeed, history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/indeed-history-is-nothing-more-than-a-tableau-of-crimes-and/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is but the record of crimes and misfortunes. L'histoire n'est que le tableau des crimes et des malheurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-but-the-record-of-crimes-and-misfortunes-l-histoire-n-est/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is no more than the portrayal of crimes and misfortunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-no-more-than-the-portrayal-of-crimes-and-misfortunes/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [What is public history but a register of the successes and disappointments, the vices, the follies and the quarrels of those who engage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-paley/what-is-public-history-but-a-register-of-the-successes-and/) [William S. Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-paley/) > [“History is indeed more than the register of crime,folilies and misfortune of mankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adejimi/history-is-indeed-more-than-the-register-of-crime-folilies-and/) [peter adejimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adejimi/) > [Properly speaking, history is nothing but the crimes and misfortunes of the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayle/properly-speaking-history-is-nothing-but-the-crimes-and-misfortunes/) [Pierre Bayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayle/) > [ \[W\]hich category of crimes does the State pursue and punish most intensely? \[T\]hose against private citizens or those against itself? The gravest crimes in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/w-hich-category-of-crimes-does-the-state-pursue-and-punish-most/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [Antoninus diffused order and tranquility over the greatest part of the earth. His reign is marked by the rare advantage of furnishing very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/antoninus-diffused-order-and-tranquility-over-the-greatest-part-of/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [It is the poverty connected with our species which subordinates one man to another. It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-the-poverty-connected-with-our-species-which-subordinates-one/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Individual misfortunes give rise to the general good; so that the more individual misfortunes exist, the more all is fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/individual-misfortunes-give-rise-to-the-general-good-so-that-the-more/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-longer-we-dwell-on-our-misfortunes-the-greater-is-their-power-to/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' I took no position on just where they stand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-stated-that-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-are-among-the-most-unspeakable/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The greatest of all crimes are the wars that are carried on by governments, to plunder, enslave, and destroy mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-greatest-of-all-crimes-are-the-wars-that-are-carried-on-by/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [Among our crimes oblivion may be set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/among-our-crimes-oblivion-may-be-set/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/) [Joe Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pitts/) ## More by Voltaire > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/fanaticism-to-which-men-are-so-much-inclined-has-always-served-not/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-re-neither-pure-nor-wise-nor-good-we-do-the-best-we-know/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-life-it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/providence-has-given-us-hope-and-sleep-as-a-compensation-for-the-many/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/men-use-thought-only-to-justify-their-wrong-doings-and-employ-speech/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) [Explore all 934 Voltaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## More Crimes quotes > [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/) [Joe Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pitts/) > [Among our crimes oblivion may be set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/among-our-crimes-oblivion-may-be-set/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The greatest of all crimes are the wars that are carried on by governments, to plunder, enslave, and destroy mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-greatest-of-all-crimes-are-the-wars-that-are-carried-on-by/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' I took no position on just where they stand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-stated-that-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-are-among-the-most-unspeakable/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [High testosterone levels have been proven to make men more likely to commit crimes. The tendency in men toward risky behaviour keeps turning up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/high-testosterone-levels-have-been-proven-to-make-men-more-likely-to/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Heinous crimes are not new to our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/heinous-crimes-are-not-new-to-our-society/) [Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/) > [Crimes against women are growing day by day. Despite this, the mindset of our leaders, politicians, or judicial system is not changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raveena-tandon/crimes-against-women-are-growing-day-by-day-despite-this-the-mindset/) [Raveena Tandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raveena-tandon/) > [Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/formerly-we-suffered-from-crimes-now-we-suffer-from-laws/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“Any profession you engage in, no matter how profitable, unless it is truly helpful and good for others, is a crime against your soul,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/any-profession-you-engage-in-no-matter-how-profitable-unless-it-is/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [The greatest crimes are to associate another with God, to vex your father and mother, to murder your own species, to commit suicide, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad/the-greatest-crimes-are-to-associate-another-with-god-to-vex-your/) [Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad/) > [It is the greatest of crimes to depress true art and science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/it-is-the-greatest-of-crimes-to-depress-true-art-and-science/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules, but by people following the rules.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-crimes-in-the-world-are-not-committed-by-people-breaking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In life there are many thing's you may not like or want but is necessary for stability and sustainability for life and its environment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymouse/in-life-there-are-many-thing-s-you-may-not-like-or-want-but-is/) [Anonymouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymouse/) > [The trial organized with U.N. participation of some kind will be for crimes committed by Khmer Rouge leaders from 1975 to 1979. That's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hun-sen/the-trial-organized-with-u-n-participation-of-some-kind-will-be-for/) [Hun Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hun-sen/) [Browse all 276 Crimes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crimes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Voltaire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-and-misfortunes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crimes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-and-misfortunes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/voltaire-173_crimes_history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-a_1970062.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/voltaire-173_crimes_history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-a_1970062.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/voltaire-173_crimes_history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-a_1970062.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes.” — Voltaire", "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": "Voltaire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "History is only the register of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-and-misfortunes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-only-the-register-of-crimes-and-misfortunes/#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 } } ] } ```