An action doesn't have to be wrong just because it is not logical. It doesn't have to be right just because it has its logic.

What is a historian, anyway? It is someone who uses facts to record the development of humanity.

Asking the author of historical novels to teach you about history is like expecting the composer of a melody to provide answers about radio transmission.

From depicting the past, so goes the suspicion, it is a short step to glorifying the past.

Like the philosopher, the author views his task as one of establishing a clear connection between life and history, and of making the past bear fruit for the present and future.

There's only a step from the sublime to the ridiculous, but there's no road leading from the ridiculous to the sublime.

I have always made an effort to render every detail of my reality with the greatest accuracy; but I have never paid attention to whether my presentation of historical facts was an exact one.