John G. Diefenbaker Quotes

An accurate knowledge of the past of a country is necessary for everyone who would understand its present, and who desires to judge of its future.

Can't disagree with the need for a grasp of history.

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

I think people in general have neglected to learn about history.

I don't think you should ever run from history. You should learn from it and embrace it.

History is neither a political fable in which all the brothers are valiant and all the sisters virtuous, nor is it a tabloid expose, full of crimes and follies, signifying nothing but victimization. There is, I must admit, a caustic delight in unveiling the frailties of our Jeffersons and our Lincolns, but the delight turns malevolent when it serves only to strip the American past of anything remarkable or exceptional, or when it demeans or discourages civic engagement and confidence.

The history of this country is told by showing people who have contributed to it.

History is an instrument of the most genuine patriotic spirit

Histories are to educate so that we understand better for ourselves and for motivation.

Americans are in vital need of the instruction that historians can provide.

People must know the past to understand the present, and to face the future.

Historical awareness is a kind of resurrection.

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

I think that America has an obsession with history, really.

We take it for granted sometimes that certain parts of our history are told, and we take it for granted that we know all that stuff, and we move forward along on that basis, but there are also massive gaps, and we have to try to address them.

Most of us, I think, are conscious of history swirling around outside the door, but when we're in the house, we're usually not dealing with history. We're not thinking about history.

Teaching the history of the British Empire links in with that of the world: for better and for worse, the Empire made us what we are, forming our national identity. A country that does not understand its own history is unlikely to respect that of others.

All the things that are part of your heritage make you British - that makes this country what it is. It's part of your history. And here, unlike America, it's still living history.

A man acquainted with history may, in some respect, be said to have lived from the beginning of the world, and to have been making continual additions to his stock of knowledge in every century.

Nations without a past are contradictions in terms. What makes a nation is the past, what justifies one nation against others is the past, and historians are the people who produce it.

I think you can learn from history.

As a kid, I sensed history going on all around me, but the basic thrust of it didn't move me.

I really feel sorry for kids who aren't interested in history - recent history, either, because it is this that made us what we are.

We must teach our people the greatness of China's historical culture. In our educational program we must stress Chinese history and geography so that all may know and appreciate China's civilization of five thousand years and the far-flung boundaries of our ancient race. This will engender a greater faith in our own future.

A feeling for history is almost an essential for writing and appreciating good science fiction, for sensing the connections between the past and future that run through our present.