Ian Mortimer Quotes

born 1967 England

Ian James Forrester Mortimer (born 1967) is a British historian and writer of historical fiction. He is best known for his book The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.

England
Historians
Non-fiction authors
Novelists

Random Ian Mortimer quote

42 quotes

If the revolution is to be wholly successful, all the counter-revolutions must be defeated.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

In medieval theater, it is not so much bad reviews which you need to fear but excommunication.

The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (2008)

Local justice is designed to find somebody guilty; it does not necessarily follow that that somebody is the person responsible for the crime in question.

The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (2008)

Which path would the kingdom choose: tyranny in the name of loyalty? Or treason in the name of justice?

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

A kiss is a fleeting thing, but once it has taken place it cannot be undone.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

While we may have some sympathy for Richard, his psychological problems had a disastrous effect on the political situation in England.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

Not wearing something is also a way of making a fashion statement.

The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (2008)

In medieval society, what you wear denotes what you are.

The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (2008)

This horrific disease does not just affect the sinful; it kills the innocent too. If this is the work of God, then He is indiscriminate in his judgments.

The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (2008)

Such a mercurial ruler could hardly be an inspiration to his people. Wise men do not follow leaders whom they suspect might later reproach them for their loyalty.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

Unlike men, women or not usually described by what they do but by their marital condition. Thus the medieval mind tends to categorize women as follows: maidens, wives, nuns, and widows.

The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (2008)

Most of all, he wanted so much to be a good king – attempting to please everyone all the time – that he inevitably displeased some.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

The modern traveler coming from an age of good food guides and supermarkets is liable to forget that people in medieval England still starve to death.

The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (2008)

Politicians in all ages have felt similarly inclined to draw a line between public expediency and personal conscience.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

Justice had to take second place to political expediency.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

Very clearly, Henry cared more for God than for the Church, and more for the Church than for some of the men who exercised office within it.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

We should always remember that what we have in common with the past is just as important, real, and as essential to our lives as those things which make us different.

The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (2008)

The king was purposefully creating the maximum amount of fear. In Richard’s mind, the fear of his subjects equated to his own sense of power.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

Convenience, you will soon realize, is not something to which aristocrats aspire. The more impractical the clothing, the higher the status of the wearer.

The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (2008)

A man who grows up believing he is the heir to the throne is unlikely ever to be able to let go of such an idea.

The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-made King (2007)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Ian Mortimer (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.