--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is mostly guessing; the rest is…" description: "\"History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice.\" — Will Durant" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/will-durant-948_guessing_history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-p_1486678.png" --- # History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice. ![“History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice.” quote by Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/will-durant-948_guessing_history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-p_1486678.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/will-durant-948_guessing_history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-p_1486678.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/will-durant-948_guessing_history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-p_1486678.png) > “History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice.” [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suggests that much of history is speculative, while bias shapes interpretation **In simple terms:** History mixes guesswork with prejudice Key Takeaway Question assumptions in historical narratives Themes history bias interpretation Mood thoughtful critical Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - academic research - media reporting - education curricula Key Concepts historical methodology subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How do we differentiate fact from speculation? - What biases influence our view of history? A Different Perspective Historical conclusions can be uncertain and contested ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) ## Related quotes > [What we are able to judge with feeling is very little; the rest is all prejudice and complaisance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/what-we-are-able-to-judge-with-feeling-is-very-little-the-rest-is-all/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [When you are faced with prejudice, logic and justice are impotent. Still, we may have an obligation to argue directly into the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/when-you-are-faced-with-prejudice-logic-and-justice-are-impotent/) [Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/) > [I am living in this world, and if this world already has a certain prejudice of me and an idea of me, then it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-knox/i-am-living-in-this-world-and-if-this-world-already-has-a-certain/) [Amanda Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-knox/) > [An intensive human rights education for all communities needs to be provided to overcome the old prejudices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-manorama/an-intensive-human-rights-education-for-all-communities-needs-to-be/) Ruth Manorama > [Removing prejudices is, alas! too often removing the boundary of a delightful near prospect in order to let in a shockingly extensive one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-fulke-greville/removing-prejudices-is-alas-too-often-removing-the-boundary-of-a/) [Sir Fulke Greville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-fulke-greville/) > [Prejudices of any kind are the destroyers of human happiness & welfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/prejudices-of-any-kind-are-the-destroyers-of-human-happiness-welfare/) [Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/) > [“We look at each other a second. " I'm tired of the rules," I say. Aibileen chuckles and looks out the window. I realise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/we-look-at-each-other-a-second-i-m-tired-of-the-rules-i-say-aibileen/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [Show me a person without prejudice of any kind on any subject and I'll show you someone who may be admirably virtuous but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/show-me-a-person-without-prejudice-of-any-kind-on-any-subject-and-i/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [An opinion may be controverted; a prejudice, never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/an-opinion-may-be-controverted-a-prejudice-never/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“Those who embrace prejudice doom themselves to live in ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-lintz-sr/those-who-embrace-prejudice-doom-themselves-to-live-in-ignorance/) John P Lintz Sr > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [I hate prejudice on any level. I don't care if it's somebody being discriminated against because of the color of their skin or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/i-hate-prejudice-on-any-level-i-don-t-care-if-it-s-somebody-being/) [Charlamagne tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/) > [“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/when-dealing-with-people-remember-you-are-not-dealing-with-creatures/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More by Will Durant > [I came to think of myself, not as a dance and chaos of molecules, but as a brief and minute portion of that majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/i-came-to-think-of-myself-not-as-a-dance-and-chaos-of-molecules-but/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“This is the tragedy of almost every civilization—that its soul is in its faith, and seldom survives philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/this-is-the-tragedy-of-almost-every-civilization-that-its-soul-is-in/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [In philosophy, as in politics, the longest distance between two points is a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/in-philosophy-as-in-politics-the-longest-distance-between-two-points/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [As long as there is poverty there will be gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/as-long-as-there-is-poverty-there-will-be-gods/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“Hence the uselessness of logic: no one ever convinced anybody by logic; and even logicians use logic only as a source of income. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/hence-the-uselessness-of-logic-no-one-ever-convinced-anybody-by-logic/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“It is a mistake to think that the past is dead. Nothing that has ever happened is quite without influence at this moment. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/it-is-a-mistake-to-think-that-the-past-is-dead-nothing-that-has-ever/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“There is hardly an absurdity of the past that cannot be found flourishing somewhere in the present. Underneath all civilization, ancient or modern, moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/there-is-hardly-an-absurdity-of-the-past-that-cannot-be-found/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-islamic-conquest-of-india-is-probably-the-bloodiest-story-in/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“Intellectualism—the conception of man as above all a thinking animal, consciously adapting means to rationally chosen ends—fell sick with Rousseau, took to its bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/intellectualism-the-conception-of-man-as-above-all-a-thinking-animal/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“All those fascinating varieties of terrain—mountains and valleys, fiords and straits, gulfs and streams—that make Europe a panorama of diverse delight, have broken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/all-those-fascinating-varieties-of-terrain-mountains-and-valleys/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“To be great is not to be placed above humanity, ruling others; but to stand above the partialities and futilities of uninformed desire, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/to-be-great-is-not-to-be-placed-above-humanity-ruling-others-but-to/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“privately he composed—in French—a poem expressing his pleasure at having given the French a kick in the cul, which Carlyle delicately translated as “the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/privately-he-composed-in-french-a-poem-expressing-his-pleasure-at/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [ “\[N\]o language has ever had a word for a virgin man.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/n-o-language-has-ever-had-a-word-for-a-virgin-man/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“And in the individual too, justice is effective coördination, the harmonious functioning of the elements in a man, each in its fit place and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/and-in-the-individual-too-justice-is-effective-co-rdination-the/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) [Explore all 320 Will Durant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) ## More Guessing quotes > [Life has taught me one big lesson, always keep the girlies guessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/life-has-taught-me-one-big-lesson-always-keep-the-girlies-guessing/) [Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/) > [Listen, young people, I understand narcissism - clearly. But at least I have the decency to hate myself. And that's what's missing from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/listen-young-people-i-understand-narcissism-clearly-but-at-least-i/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [“This whole thing," I said "is going to come down to guessing who isn't what they look like." "Who is?" Karrin asked, her hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/this-whole-thing-i-said-is-going-to-come-down-to-guessing-who-isn-t/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [You make a movie and it's like convincing people to go on an expedition with you. You think you know where it's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ayer/you-make-a-movie-and-it-s-like-convincing-people-to-go-on-an/) [David Ayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ayer/) > [Guessing isn't knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/guessing-isn-t-knowing/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [I don't think I have any set image, and I don't want one. If I think I'm getting a particular image, I try and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranveer-singh/i-don-t-think-i-have-any-set-image-and-i-don-t-want-one-if-i-think-i/) [Ranveer Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranveer-singh/) > [“All this was very loose guessing, and I don't pretend it was ingenious or scientific. I wasn't any kind of Sherlock Holmes. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buchan/all-this-was-very-loose-guessing-and-i-don-t-pretend-it-was-ingenious/) [John Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buchan/) > [Forever this time," he said as Sawyer strode toward them. Tara sighed blissfully. "You know what this means, right?" "I'm done guessing," he said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/forever-this-time-he-said-as-sawyer-strode-toward-them-tara-sighed/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [I love enemies, though not in the Christian way. They amuse me, excite my blood. Being always on one’s guard, catching every glance, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-love-enemies-though-not-in-the-christian-way-they-amuse-me-excite/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [Have any of you taken a look out at Greece in the last, say, hour or so? (Hermes) What? Are they reacting to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/have-any-of-you-taken-a-look-out-at-greece-in-the-last-say-hour-or-so/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [A miracle worker who can do more with less, pacify rival groups, endure chronic second guessing, tolerate low levels of support, process large volumes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fullan/a-miracle-worker-who-can-do-more-with-less-pacify-rival-groups-endure/) [Michael Fullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fullan/) > [Never keep a woman guessing, shes sure to find the answer some were else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-keep-a-woman-guessing-shes-sure-to-find-the-answer-some-were/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Empowering Women 101: If a normal man wants you he will let you know. You won't have to guess. He will move mountains to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/empowering-women-101-if-a-normal-man-wants-you-he-will-let-you-know/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“I have long left the notion of guessing the mind of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-schamel/i-have-long-left-the-notion-of-guessing-the-mind-of-god/) Amber Schamel > [My greatest desire as an actor is to keep people guessing and not do anything close to what I did last time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-schreiber/my-greatest-desire-as-an-actor-is-to-keep-people-guessing-and-not-do/) [Pablo Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-schreiber/) Browse all 281 Guessing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Will Durant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-prejudice/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Guessing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-prejudice/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/will-durant-948_guessing_history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-p_1486678.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/will-durant-948_guessing_history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-p_1486678.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/will-durant-948_guessing_history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-p_1486678.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice.” — Will 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 Durant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "History is mostly guessing; the rest...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-prejudice/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/history-is-mostly-guessing-the-rest-is-prejudice/#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 } } ] } ```