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The past is what provides us with the building blocks. Our job today is to create new buildings out of them.

— Theodore Zeldin

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More quotes by Theodore Zeldin

It takes a long time for people to recognize their soul-mates when they have too limited an idea of who they are themselves.

An Intimate History of Humanity (1994)

The violent have been victorious for most of history because they kindled the fear with which everyone is born.

An Intimate History of Humanity (1994)

Even Gandhi, with all his charisma, did not "melt the hearts" of his oppressors, as he had hoped. After softening, hearts harden again.

An Intimate History of Humanity (1994)

No history of the world can be complete which does not mention Mary Helen Keller... whose overcoming of her blindness and deafness were arguably victories more important than those of Alexander the Great, because they have implications still for every living person.

An Intimate History of Humanity (1994)

I invented something called The Oxford Muse. The Muses were women in mythology. They did not teach or require to be worshipped, but they were a source of inspiration. They taught you how to cultivate your emotions through the different arts in order to reach a higher plane.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Theodore Zeldin (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.