"The ultimate aim of historical writing is the bringing before us the whole truth."

Leopold von Ranke Literature See all quotes by Leopold von Ranke →

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“To history has been attributed the function to judge the past, to instruct ourselves for the advantage of the future. Such a lofty function the present work does not attempt. It aims merely to show how it actually took place.”

“Rigorous presentation of the facts, however conditional and lacking in beauty they may be, is without question the supreme law.”

“You are in the first place a Christian: I am in the first place a historian. There is a gulf between us.”

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"We too often forget that not only is there "a soul of goodness in things evil," but very generally also, a soul of truth in things erroneous."

— Herbert Spencer

Philosophy1820–1903

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— Lloyd Kaufman

Entertainment1945

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"Khan told me: "Nobody wants to say anything publicly because I know too much about all of them. If we were all to be honest with each other, that would be the end of British psychoanalysis."

— Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

Literature1941

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"The Synod Fathers spoke of the importance of respect for religious freedom, viewed as a fundamental human right. This includes “the freedom to choose the religion which one judges to be true and to ma…"

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Religion1936–2025

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