On the record
The best history is but like the art of Rembrandt; it casts a vivid light on certain selected causes, on those which were best and greatest; it leaves all the rest in shadow and unseen.
Said by
Walter Bagehot
Source
gutenberg.orgThe best history is but like the art of Rembrandt; it casts a vivid light on certain selected causes, on those which were best and greatest; it leaves all the rest in shadow and unseen.
He compares history to Rembrandt's art, highlighting how it focuses on significant causes while leaving others in obscurity.
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