I was a narrative historian, believing more and more as I matured that the first function of the … - A. J. P. Taylor

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Nature has introduced great variety into the landscape, but man has displayed a passion for simplifying it. Thus he undoes the built-in checks and balances by which nature holds the species within bounds.

A. J. P. Taylor

I was a narrative historian, believing more and more as I matured that the first function of the historian was to answer the child's question, "What happened next?

Answers, Believe, Children, Historian, Matured, Question

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The greatest problem about old age is the fear that it may go on too long.

Age, Fear, Long, Problem

History gets thicker as it approaches recent times: more people, more events, and more books written about them. More evidence is preserved, often, one is tempted to say, too much. Decay and destruction have hardly begun their beneficent work.

Book, People, Events, Destruction, Times, Begun

Rather an end in horror, than horror without end. He could not condemn principles he might need to invoke and apply later. The wolf cannot help having been created by God as he is, but we shoot him all the same if we have to. The great player in diplomacy, as in chess, asks the question,Does this improve me?, not look at the possible fringe benefits If you can't have what you like, you must like what you have.

Asks, History, Look, Player, Possible, Principles

Like most of those who study history, he (Napoleon III) learned from the mistakes of the past how to make new ones.

Iii, Mistake, Mistakes, Past, Study, Studying History

History is the great propagator of doubt.

History, Doubt, Propagator