Barbara W. Tuchman? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular historian Barbara W. Tuchman said that a successful revolution eventually reinstates the tyrannical behavior that precipitated the initial rebellion. I do not recall the precise wording she used. Would you please help me to find this quotation? Quote Investigator: In 1971 Barbara W. Tuchman published “Stilwell …
Category Archives: Barbara W. Tuchman
History Is the Unfolding of Miscalculations
Barbara W. Tuchman? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular historian Barbara W. Tuchman crafted one or both of the following cautionary adages: War is the unfolding of miscalculations. History is the unfolding of miscalculations. Sometimes the final word is singular. Would you please help me unravel this mystery? Quote Investigator: In 1971 Tuchman published “Stilwell …
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Nothing is More Unfair than to Judge the Men of the Past by the Ideas of the Present
Barbara W. Tuchman? Denys Arthur Winstanley? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular historian Barbara W. Tuchman suggested that it was unfair to “judge men of the past by the ideas of the present”. She credited this interesting stance to an unnamed English historian. Yet, I have been unable to determine the identity of this astute …