“History is never surprising—after it happens.”
Logic of Empire (p. 333)
Short fiction, The Past Through Tomorrow (1967)
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Robert A. Heinlein557
American science fiction author 1907–1988Related quotes
John Banville (1945) Irish writer
Once More Admired Than Bought, A Writer Finally Basks in Success (1990)
Gustavo Gutiérrez (1928) Peruvian theologian
Source: A Theology of Liberation - 15th Anniversary Edition, Chapter Nine, Liberation And Salvation, p. 91-92
“History’s made of surprises that seem obvious in retrospect.”
Daniel Abraham (1969) speculative fiction writer from the United States
Source: Nemesis Games (2015), Chapter 28 (p. 296)
Lancelot Law Whyte (1896–1972) Scottish industrial engineer
Essay on Atomism: From Democritus to 1960 (1961), p.8
“History, as it comes into our daily lives, is charged with surprise and shock.”
Robert L. Heilbroner (1919–2005) American historian and economist
Source: The Future As History (1960), Chapter I, Part 1, The Shock of Events, p. 13
“It's surprising how often history is decided by something as trival as bad shellfish.”
John Flanagan (1873–1938) Irish-American hammer thrower
Source: The Battle for Skandia