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Leopold von Ranke on History

1795–1886 Germany

← All quotes by Leopold von Ranke

3 quotes

The ultimate aim of historical writing is the bringing before us the whole truth.

Rigorous presentation of the facts, however conditional and lacking in beauty they may be, is without question the supreme law.

To history has been attributed the function to judge the past, to instruct ourselves for the advantage of the future. Such a lofty function the present work does not attempt. It aims merely to show how it actually took place.

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Leopold von Ranke (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.