History, n. An account, mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought
about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1906
What then is […] the truth of history? A fable agreed upon.
—Napoléon, 1816
The history [is] written by the victors.
—Alexis Guignard, 1842
11
It will be much better by all Parties to leave the past to history, especially as I propose to
write the history myself.
12
—Winston Churchill, 1948
Ignorance is the first requisite of the historian - ignorance, which simplifies and clarifies,
which selects and omits, with a placid perfection unattainable by the highest art.
—Lytton Strachey, 1918
Though God cannot alter the past, historians can.
—Samuel Butler, 1901
***
I am constantly writing autobiography, but I have to turn it into fiction in order to give it
credibility.
—Katherine Paterson, 1989
Of all forms of fiction, autobiography is most gratuitous.
—Tom Stoppard, 1966
Autobiography - that unrivaled vehicle for telling the truth about other people.
—Philip Guedalla, 1923
***
No one sees his own faults.
—Spanish proverb
Isolation in a creative work is an onerous thing. It is better to have negative criticism than
none at all.
—Anton Chekhov, 1886
Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost what it feels
about dogs.
—Christopher Hampton, 1977
11
Widely misattributed to various later authors—most frequently to Napoléon, and to Winston
Churchill who merely loved to quote it.
12
This quip is frequently paraphrased in a shorter form: “History will be kind to me for I intend to
write it.”.
On Writing, Literature, Poetry, and Journalism
105
about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1906
What then is […] the truth of history? A fable agreed upon.
—Napoléon, 1816
The history [is] written by the victors.
—Alexis Guignard, 1842
11
It will be much better by all Parties to leave the past to history, especially as I propose to
write the history myself.
12
—Winston Churchill, 1948
Ignorance is the first requisite of the historian - ignorance, which simplifies and clarifies,
which selects and omits, with a placid perfection unattainable by the highest art.
—Lytton Strachey, 1918
Though God cannot alter the past, historians can.
—Samuel Butler, 1901
***
I am constantly writing autobiography, but I have to turn it into fiction in order to give it
credibility.
—Katherine Paterson, 1989
Of all forms of fiction, autobiography is most gratuitous.
—Tom Stoppard, 1966
Autobiography - that unrivaled vehicle for telling the truth about other people.
—Philip Guedalla, 1923
***
No one sees his own faults.
—Spanish proverb
Isolation in a creative work is an onerous thing. It is better to have negative criticism than
none at all.
—Anton Chekhov, 1886
Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost what it feels
about dogs.
—Christopher Hampton, 1977
11
Widely misattributed to various later authors—most frequently to Napoléon, and to Winston
Churchill who merely loved to quote it.
12
This quip is frequently paraphrased in a shorter form: “History will be kind to me for I intend to
write it.”.
On Writing, Literature, Poetry, and Journalism
105