It is indeed the duty of historians to stress the contrast betweenthe standards of the past and the standards of the present. Somefulfil that duty on purpose, others by accident.

Norman Davies
About This Quote

This quip is a humorous way of saying that historians should not use their writing to show how bad things were in the past. Instead, they should focus on the goodness of the past.

Source: Europe

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More Quotes By Norman Davies
  1. It is indeed the duty of historians to stress the contrast betweenthe standards of the past and the standards of the present. Somefulfil that duty on purpose, others by accident.
  2. Reconstructing the past is rather like translating poetry. It can be done, but never exactly.
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