Historical Quotes That Will Make You Think
History is full of wisdom and insight, and the quotes that we remember from history often stay with us long after the events have passed. These quotes can challenge us to think about the world in new ways, and they can help us to understand the past so that we can better shape the future.
In this blog post, we’ve collected 50+ of the most thought-provoking historical quotes. We hope you find them as thought-provoking as we do!
- “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
- “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
- “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “Give me liberty, or give me death!” – Patrick Henry
- “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” – John F. Kennedy
- “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
- “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy
- “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
- “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – Lord Acton
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
- “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
- “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.” – Friedrich Hegel
- “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
- “I came, I saw, I conquered.” – Julius Caesar
- “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” – Socrates
- “I think, therefore I am.” – René Descartes
- “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” – Thomas Paine
- “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy
- “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
- “If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “The measure of a man is what he does with power.” – Plato
- “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
- “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
- “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
- “The pen is mightier than the sword.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
- “It is better to be feared than loved.” – Niccolò Machiavelli
- “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” – Voltaire
- “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “All men are created equal.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” – Voltaire
- “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
- “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” – Charlie Chaplin
- “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” – Nelson Mandela
- “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
- “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates
- “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” – William Ernest Henley
- “I came, I saw, I conquered.” – Julius Caesar
- “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong
- “To be or not to be, that is the question.” – William Shakespeare, Hamlet
- “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” – Aristotle Onassis
- “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
We hope you enjoyed this collection of historical quotes. Remember, history is not just about dates and events, it’s also about the wisdom of the ages. So take some time to think about these quotes and let them challenge you to become a more thoughtful person.