--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is an excellent teacher with few…" description: "\"“History is an excellent teacher with few pupils.”\" — Will & Ariel durant" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/will-ariel-durant-286707_history_history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few_1937390.jpg" --- # History is an excellent teacher with few pupils. ![“History is an excellent teacher with few pupils.” quote by Will & Ariel durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/will-ariel-durant-286707_history_history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few_1937390.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/will-ariel-durant-286707_history_history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few_1937390.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/will-ariel-durant-286707_history_history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few_1937390.jpg) > ““History is an excellent teacher with few pupils.”” Will & Ariel durant ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History offers valuable lessons, yet few learners absorb them, emphasizing the gap between knowledge and practice. **In simple terms:** History teaches, few learn. Key Takeaway Apply past lessons. Themes history learning education Mood reflective educational Type History:1 Learning:1 Mentorship:0 Pupils:0 Teacher:0 Teaching:0 Excellent Teacher:0 Teacher Pupils:0 History Excellent:0 When to use this quote - academic study - policy making - personal reflection - teaching Key Concepts philosophy education human behavior Questions to Reflect On - What historical lesson applies to you? - How can you teach history effectively? A Different Perspective People may ignore lessons. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) ## Related quotes > [A teacher who can show good, or indeed astounding results while he is teaching, is still not on that account a good teacher, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/a-teacher-who-can-show-good-or-indeed-astounding-results-while-he-is/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [If you become a teacher, by your pupils you'll be taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hammerstein-ii/if-you-become-a-teacher-by-your-pupils-you-ll-be-taught/) [Oscar Hammerstein II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hammerstein-ii/) > [Don't say I was an inspirational teacher - my former pupils would laugh their heads off. I was grossly incompetent, but I hope I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-davies/don-t-say-i-was-an-inspirational-teacher-my-former-pupils-would-laugh/) [Greg Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-davies/) > [History would be an excellent thing if only it were true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/history-would-be-an-excellent-thing-if-only-it-were-true/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [But as Nature is the best guide, teaching must be the development of natural inclinations, for which purpose the teacher must watch his pupil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/but-as-nature-is-the-best-guide-teaching-must-be-the-development-of/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [“Travelling becomes an excellent teacher if the traveller becomes an excellent student!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/travelling-becomes-an-excellent-teacher-if-the-traveller-becomes-an/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [This is what an excellent teacher does; he does not follow his disciples' fancy everywhere, but leads them to his own mind, and pulls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/this-is-what-an-excellent-teacher-does-he-does-not-follow-his/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate 'apparently ordinary' people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-patricia-cross/the-task-of-the-excellent-teacher-is-to-stimulate-apparently-ordinary/) [K. Patricia Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-patricia-cross/) > [“Suffering has its beneficial aspects. It can be an excellent teacher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/suffering-has-its-beneficial-aspects-it-can-be-an-excellent-teacher/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [I once knew an otherwise excellent teacher who compelled his students to perform all their demonstrations with incorrect figures, on the theory that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/i-once-knew-an-otherwise-excellent-teacher-who-compelled-his-students/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [“You learn calmness from the lake; you learn power from the ocean waves; you learn goodness from the trees! Look around you! You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-learn-calmness-from-the-lake-you-learn-power-from-the-ocean-waves/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“If tomorrow all the bridges disappear in the world, then we can learn perfectly how very useful they were! Losing something is an excellent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-tomorrow-all-the-bridges-disappear-in-the-world-then-we-can-learn/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“time is an excellent teacher - unfortunately it kills all its pupils”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berlioz-hector-hector/time-is-an-excellent-teacher-unfortunately-it-kills-all-its-pupils/) Berlioz Hector Hector > [“Mrs March knew that experience was an excellent teacher, and, when it was possible, she left her children to learn alone the lessons which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/mrs-march-knew-that-experience-was-an-excellent-teacher-and-when-it/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [An excellent teacher not only teaches but also makes you believe that you can learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-excellent-teacher-not-only-teaches-but-also-makes-you-believe-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“History is an excellent teacher with few pupils.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Will & Ariel durant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ariel-durant/history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few-pupils/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ariel-durant/history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few-pupils/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/will-ariel-durant-286707_history_history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few_1937390.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/will-ariel-durant-286707_history_history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few_1937390.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/will-ariel-durant-286707_history_history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few_1937390.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History is an excellent teacher with few pupils.” — Will & Ariel durant", "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": "Will & Ariel durant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ariel-durant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“History is an excellent teacher with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ariel-durant/history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few-pupils/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ariel-durant/history-is-an-excellent-teacher-with-few-pupils/#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 } } ] } ```