If history can do anything it is to remind us that all our judgments are merely relative to time and circumstance.

Herbert Butterfield
About This Quote

This quote by John Maynard Keynes reminds us that everything is relative to the perspective of the person making the judgment. Every time we make a judgment on someone or something, we are applying our perspective to the situation at hand. If you think of this way, it is quite easy to see that all of history is merely a reflection of how people view things at the time. For instance, what seems like a terrible war 10 years ago can be looked at as a necessary war that was necessary for the greater good.

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  1. If history can do anything it is to remind us that all our judgments are merely relative to time and circumstance.
  2. The raconteur knows too well that, if he investigates the truth of the matter, he is only too likely to lose his good story.
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