"History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology."

History

Create & Download Quote Image

Select Template

Insight & Reflection

The theme of history is universal, yet W. H. Auden manages to capture its essence in a uniquely profound way. Taking a moment to internalize this can shift our mindset, reminding us that our perspective on history often shapes our reality.

About W. H. Auden

Wystan Hugh Auden was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry is noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, form, and content. Some of his best known poems are about love, such as "Funeral Blues"; on political and social themes, such as "September 1, 1939" and "The Shield of Achilles"; on cultural and psychological themes, such as The Age of Anxiety; and on religious themes, such as "For the Time Being" and "Horae Canonicae".

More quotes by W. H. Auden  ’
Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by W. H. Auden

"Like everything which is not the involuntary result of fleeting emotion but the creation of time and will, any marriage, happy or unhappy, is infinitely more interesting than any romance, however passionate."

Read more  ’

"It is a sad fact about our culture that a poet can earn much more money writing or talking about his art than he can by practicing it."

Read more  ’

More about History

"Ethics is not a doctrine written in marble, but a daily standard lived in conscience. A lesson woven into the fabric of human history — an essential principle for the reflective life."

Read more  ’

"To question with sincerity is the first step toward dismantling dogma. A lesson woven into the fabric of human history."

Read more  ’
View all History quotes  ’