Historical Figures Quotes

“There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism”
― Alexander Hamilton

“He died taking mercury pills that he thought would make him immortal," Tang Taizong said.

"So did you!" Qin Sho Haung yelped without looking at him.

"Allegedly! Sources differ!"

"You know what you did!”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

“Think of any great man or woman. How can you separate them from the years in which they lived? You can't. Their greatness lies in their response to that moment.”
― Timothy Findley, The Wars

“Thomas Cromwell is now about fifty years old. He has a labourer's body, stocky, useful, running to fat. He has black hair, greying now, and because of his impermeable skin, which seems designed to resist rain as well as sun, people sneer that his father was an Irishman, though really he was a brewer and a blacksmith at Putney, a shearsman too, a man with a finger in every pie, a scrapper and a brawler, a drunk and a bully, a man often hauled before the justices for punching someone, for cheating someone. How the son of such a man has achieved his present eminence is a question all Europe asks.”
― Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies

“Heydrich's life therefore offers a uniquely privileged, intimate and organic perspective on some of the darkest aspects of Nazi rule, many of which are often artificially divided or treated separately in the highly specialized literature on the Third Reich: the rise of the SS and the emergence of the Nazi police state; the decision-making processes that led to the Holocaust; the interconnections between anti-Jewish and Germanization policies; and the different ways in which German occupation regimes operated across Nazi-controlled Europe. On a more personal level, it illustrates the historical circumstances under which young men from perfectly ‘normal’ middle-class backgrounds can become political extremists determined to use ultra-violence to implement their dystopian fantasies of radically transforming the world.”
― Robert Gerwarth, Hitler's Hangman: The Life of Heydrich

“But a choice made is made, it cannot be changed. Things happened as they happened. It is possible to imagine all kinds of different routes across the continent, or a better way for the government to help private industry, or maybe to have the government build and own it. But those things didn’t happen, and what did take place is grand. So we admire those who did it—even if they were far from perfect—for what they were and what they accomplished and how much each of us owes them.”
― Stephen E. Ambrose, Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-69

“Small details are a vital part of allowing a reader to make an imaginative connection with long dead historical figures.”
― Sara Sheridan

“Every great life should have a mystery at its center.”
― Joyce E. Chaplin, The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and the Pursuit of Genius

“To know and admire history’s heroes involves a knowledge of the full historical context they lived in, warts and all, in order to see clearly how they changed that world for the better.”
― David Miano, Why Ancient History Matters

“Black women's history is a tale of fierce determination, sass, and unyielding resilience. From Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech to Maya Angelou's poetic prowess, they've left a trail of fabulousness in their wake. With style, grace they've faced adversity head-on and emerged as queens of their own narratives. So let's raise a glass this February to the trailblazers, the game-changers, and the unsung heroes!”
― Life is Positive

“With age comes a lack of shame for your quirks, or for whatever makes you seem particularly peculiar. I later became more secure in the things that made me strange, especially after learning that so many of those things were also shared by the greats.”
― Criss Jami