The historian must have some conception of how men who are not histori…

E. M. Forster
290 citations
The historian must have some conception of how men who are not historians behave. Otherwise he will move in a world of the dead. He can only gain that conception through personal experience, and he can only use his personal experiences when he is a genius.
Death Life
32

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Do you remember Italy? ✨ E.M. Forster (2012). A Room with a View, p.162, Courier Corporation
At night, when the curtains are drawn and the fire flickers, my books attain a collective dignity.
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The historian must have some conception of how men who are not historians behave. Otherwise he will move in a world of the dead. He can only gain that conception through personal experience, and he can only use his personal experiences when he is a genius.

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