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A collection of national histories, whether on a larger or a smaller scale, is not what we mean by Universal History, for in such a work the general connection of things is liable to be obscured. To recognise this connection, to trace the sequence of those great events which link all nations together and control their destinies, is the task which the science of Universal History undertakes.

— Leopold von Ranke

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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.

You are in the first place a Christian: I am in the first place a historian. There is a gulf between us.

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.

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