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About this quote

What does it mean?
Studying history reveals uncomfortable truths that challenge established narratives and power structures.
In plain terms
People avoid history because it teaches too many hard truths about how things really work.
What can you take from it?
History exposes realities that those in power may prefer to keep hidden.

Where it applies

  • public discourse
  • political analysis
  • personal learning

Putting it to work

  • historical research
  • critical reading
  • policy review

Questions to consider

  • Why might uncomfortable truths be avoided?
  • What does history teach that we might not want to know?

Another view

Some study history precisely to understand complexity, not to avoid it.

More from Noam Chomsky

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  2. Here is what [George Kennan] had to say, and it's revealing: '[...] we have about 50% of the world's wealth but only 6.3% of its population. [...] In this situ…

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  3. Because they don't teach the truth about the world, schools have to rely on beating students over the head with propaganda about democracy. If schools were, in…

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