Our interest in history always reflects our own times. Margaret MacMillan More Quotes by Margaret MacMillan More Quotes From Margaret MacMillan Nigel Farage, the leader of the U.K. Independence Party, is a true populist; Senator Bernie Sanders, the former U.S. presidential candidate who campaigned for Hillary Clinton after losing his battle for the Democratic Party's nomination, is not. Margaret MacMillan independencebattleleaderlosing Many in the English-speaking world came to agree with the Germans that the Treaty of Versailles, and the reparations in particular, were unjust, and that Lloyd George had capitulated to the vengeful French. Margaret MacMillan manyagreeunjustworld In my view, Germany could and should have made reparations for its aggression in World War I - but was the risk of renewed war worth forcing it to do so? Margaret MacMillan worthviewwarworld History can be helpful in making sense of the world we live in. It can also be fascinating, even fun. Margaret MacMillan livefunhistoryworld How can even the best novelist or playwright invent someone like Augustus Caesar or Catherine the Great, Galileo or Florence Nightingale? How can screenwriters create better action stories or human dramas than exist, thousand upon thousand, throughout the many centuries of recorded history? Margaret MacMillan betterbestgreathistory The passion for the past is clearly about more than market forces or government policies. History responds to a variety of needs, from greater understanding of ourselves and our world to answers about what to do. Margaret MacMillan passiongovernmenthistorypast For many human beings, an interest in the past starts with themselves. That is, in part, a result of biology. Like other creatures, humans have a beginning and an ending, and in between lies their story. Margaret MacMillan endingresultbeginningpast I'm always wary of the lessons of the past. There's a lot of past out there, and you can draw whatever lessons you want. Margaret MacMillan youalwayswantpast
