The work of the historian is not the work of the critic or of the moralist.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States
Historian’s Role
H
Facts and Truth
F
Evidence is always partial. Facts are not truth, though they are part of it – information chiseled in relief against the bedrock of what we can know.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States
Identity Stories
I
Nations, like people, tell stories in order to understand who they are.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States
Liberty’s Meanings
L
Liberty is a word that has as many definitions as there are people to define it.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States
Political Persuasion
P
In politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States
Equality and Morality
E
The United States rests on a dedication to equality, which is chiefly a moral idea, rooted in Christianity.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States
Democracy and Chaos
D
Democracy abides at the edge of chaos.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States
Press Influence
P
The press is the light that makes the roaches scatter.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States
Recording Thoughts
R
To write something down is to make a fossil record of a mind.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States
Slavery in History
S
Slavery is the ghost in the machine of American history.
Jill Lepore – These Truths: A History of the United States