---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Acts themselves alone are history, and…"
description: "\"Acts themselves alone are history, and these are neither the exclusive property of Hume, Gibbon nor Voltaire, Echard, Rapin, Plutarch, nor Herodotus. T..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/william-blake-397_action_acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-th_1817831.jpg"
---

#  Acts themselves alone are history, and these are neither…

![“Acts themselves alone are history, and these are neither the exclusive property of Hume, Gibbon nor Voltaire, Echard, Rapin, Plutarch, nor Herodotus. Tell me the Acts, O historian, and leave me to reason upon them as I please; away with your reasoning and your rubbish. All that is not action is…” quote by William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/william-blake-397_action_acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-th_1817831.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/william-blake-397_action_acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-th_1817831.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/william-blake-397_action_acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-th_1817831.jpg)

> “Acts themselves alone are history, and these are neither the exclusive property of Hume, Gibbon nor Voltaire, Echard, Rapin, Plutarch, nor Herodotus. Tell me the Acts, O historian, and leave me to reason upon them as I please; away with your reasoning and your rubbish. All that is not action is not worth reading.”

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote argues that only deeds matter, dismissing scholarly analysis as irrelevant to understanding history.

**In simple terms:** Only actions count, not analysis.

Key Takeaway

Focus on deeds, ignore empty rhetoric.

Themes

history action philosophy

Mood

critical assertive

Type

philosophical political controversial

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- historical research
- personal decision making
- leadership evaluation

Key Concepts

empiricism skepticism authoritarianism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance action with analysis?
- When is scholarly insight essential?

A Different Perspective

Overlooks the value of context and interpretation in shaping meaning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Acts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts/) [Acts Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-historian-2169254/) [Acts History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-history-2169255/) [Exclusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exclusive/) [Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hume/) [Leaving me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-me/) [Please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/please/) [Property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property/) [Property Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property-hume-2169257/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reasoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasoning/) [Rubbish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rubbish/) [Tell Acts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-acts-2169256/) [Worth reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-reading/)

## Related quotes

> [Poor David Hume is dying fast, but with more real cheerfulness and good humor and with more real resignation to the necessary course of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/poor-david-hume-is-dying-fast-but-with-more-real-cheerfulness-and/)

[Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/)

> [Bacon, Locke, Descartes, Hume, and all the others knew they were giving rights to vulgarity. But in so doing in addition to caring for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/bacon-locke-descartes-hume-and-all-the-others-knew-they-were-giving/)

[Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/)

> [“In the history of philosophy, the term “rationalism” has two distinct meanings. In one sense, it signifies an unbreached commitment to reasoned thought in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bernstein/in-the-history-of-philosophy-the-term-rationalism-has-two-distinct/)

[Andrew Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bernstein/)

> [A philosophy professor at my college, whose baby became enamored of the portrait of David Hume on a Penguin paperback, had the cover laminated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/a-philosophy-professor-at-my-college-whose-baby-became-enamored-of/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [Moral theory develops from the divine command theory of medieval Christian philosophy, mixed up with a bit of ancient pagan virtue theory, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/moral-theory-develops-from-the-divine-command-theory-of-medieval/)

[Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/)

> [Hume develops his arguments by a series of models. He doesn't call them models in the pretentious way in which we envelope, very often,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-robbins-baron-robbins/hume-develops-his-arguments-by-a-series-of-models-he-doesn-t-call/)

[Lionel Robbins, Baron Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-robbins-baron-robbins/)

> [“To question reason is to trust it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-stokes/to-question-reason-is-to-trust-it/)

[Mitch Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-stokes/)

> [Jefferson, Madison and many others taught that complex laws and codes were sure signs of oppression. They agreed with Montesquieu, Lock and Hume and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/jefferson-madison-and-many-others-taught-that-complex-laws-and-codes/)

[Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/)

> [Nature and society are so replete with startling contrasts that wit often consists in the mere statement and comparison of facts, as when Hume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/nature-and-society-are-so-replete-with-startling-contrasts-that-wit/)

[Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/)

> [“I have always considered David Hume as approaching as nearly the idea of a perfectly wise and virtuous man as perhaps the nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/i-have-always-considered-david-hume-as-approaching-as-nearly-the-idea/)

[Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/)

> [Taste is not stationary. It grows every day, and is improved by cultivation, as a good temper is refined by religion. In its most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/taste-is-not-stationary-it-grows-every-day-and-is-improved-by/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [Democrats all claim they'll get rough with the terrorists, but they can't even face Brit Hume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/democrats-all-claim-they-ll-get-rough-with-the-terrorists-but-they/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [The first-cause and prime-mover argument, brilliantly proffered by St. Thomas Aquinas in the fourteenth century (and brilliantly refuted by David Hume in the eighteenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/the-first-cause-and-prime-mover-argument-brilliantly-proffered-by-st/)

[Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/)

> [“David Hume, in a moment of acute skepticism, felt panicky in the solitude of his study and had to go out and join his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barrett/david-hume-in-a-moment-of-acute-skepticism-felt-panicky-in-the/)

[William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/)

> [Berkeley , Hume, Kant , Fichte , Hegel , James , Bergson all are united in one earnest attempt, the attempt to reinstate man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/berkeley-hume-kant-fichte-hegel-james-bergson-all-are-united-in-one/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

## More by William Blake

> [Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/poetry-fettered-fetters-the-human-race-nations-are-destroyed-or/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [Where any view of money exists, art cannot be carried on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/where-any-view-of-money-exists-art-cannot-be-carried-on/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [God only acts and is, in existing beings or men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/god-only-acts-and-is-in-existing-beings-or-men/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [Kill not the moth nor butterfly, For the Last Judgement draweth nigh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/kill-not-the-moth-nor-butterfly-for-the-last-judgement-draweth-nigh/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after death of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-world-of-imagination-is-the-world-of-eternity-it-is-the-divine/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/imagination-is-the-real-and-eternal-world-of-which-this-vegetable/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [Painters are noted for being dissipated and wild.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/painters-are-noted-for-being-dissipated-and-wild/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [Time is the mercy of Eternity; without Time's swiftness Which is the swiftest of all things, all were eternal torment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/time-is-the-mercy-of-eternity-without-time-s-swiftness-which-is-the/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [The difference between a bad artist and a good one is: the bad artist seems to copy a great deal; the good one really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-difference-between-a-bad-artist-and-a-good-one-is-the-bad-artist/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [Cruelty has a human heart, and jealousy a human face. Terror, the human form divine, And secrecy, the human dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/cruelty-has-a-human-heart-and-jealousy-a-human-face-terror-the-human/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [A dead body revenges not injuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/a-dead-body-revenges-not-injuries/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [Those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained; and the restrainer or reason usurps its place & governs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/those-who-restrain-desire-do-so-because-theirs-is-weak-enough-to-be/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [To generalize is to be an idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/to-generalize-is-to-be-an-idiot/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [THE POISON TREE I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-poison-tree-i-was-angry-with-my-friend-i-told-my-wrath-my-wrath/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [The bird a nest the spider a web the human friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-bird-a-nest-the-spider-a-web-the-human-friendship/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

[Explore all 592 William Blake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

## More Action quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/)

[Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/)

[Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/)

> [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/)

[Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

[Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Acts themselves alone are history, and these are neither the exclusive property of Hume, Gibbon nor Voltaire, Echard, Rapin, Plutarch, nor Herodotus. Tell me the Acts, O historian, and leave me to reason upon them as I please; away with your reasoning and your rubbish. All that is not action is not worth reading.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Blake"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-these-are-neither-the-exclusive/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Action"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-these-are-neither-the-exclusive/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/william-blake-397_action_acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-th_1817831.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/william-blake-397_action_acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-th_1817831.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/william-blake-397_action_acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-th_1817831.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Acts themselves alone are history, and these are neither the exclusive property of Hume, Gibbon nor…” — William Blake",
                "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": "William Blake",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Acts themselves alone are history, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-these-are-neither-the-exclusive/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/acts-themselves-alone-are-history-and-these-are-neither-the-exclusive/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```