#historian

To give an accurate description of what has never occurred is not merely the proper occupation of the historian, but the inalienable privilege of any man of parts and culture. ↗

— Oscar Wilde

#historians #literature #description

The duty of a historian is simply to understand and then convey that understanding, no more than that. ↗

— Antony Beevor

#duty #historian #more #simply #than

Now, there are some who would like to rewrite history - revisionist historians is what I like to call them. ↗

— George W. Bush

#historians #history #i #like #now

What comes to your mind when you think of the word Transylvania, if you ponder it at all? What comes to my mind are mountains of savage beauty, ancient castles, werewolves, and witches - a land of magical obscurity. How, in short, am I to believe I will still be in Europe, on entering such a realm? I shall let you know if it's Europe or fairyland, when I get there. First, Snagov - I set out tomorrow. ↗

— Elizabeth Kostova

#dracula #historian #transylvania #beauty

Writers of historical fiction are not under the same obligation as historians to find evidence for the statements they make. For us it is sufficient if what we say can't be disproved or shown to be false. ↗

— Barry Unsworth

#evidence #false #fiction #find #historians

Now, to describe the process of the Wrapped Reichstag, which went from 1971 to '95, there is an entire book about that, because each one of our projects has its own book. The book is not an art book, meaning it's not written by an art historian. ↗

— Christo

#art #because #book #describe #each

It doesn't upset artists to find out that artists used lenses or mirrors or other aids, but it certainly does upset the art historians. ↗

— Chuck Close

#art #artists #certainly #does #find

Scientists disagree among themselves but they never fight over their disagreements. They argue about evidence or go out and seek new evidence. Much the same is true of philosophers, historians and literary critics. ↗

— Richard Dawkins

#among #argue #critics #disagree #disagreements

If you think about it, the historian's task is like that of the detective. ↗

— David Herbert Donald

#detective #historian #like #task #think

To a historian libraries are food, shelter, and even muse. ↗

— Barbara Tuchman

#food #historian #libraries #muse #shelter