"It is sometimes very hard to tell the difference between history and the smell of skunk." ― Rebecca West Topic(s): History More From Rebecca West "Everyone realizes that one can believe little of what people say about each other. But it is not so widely realized that even less can one trust what people say about themselves." "Life ought to be a struggle of desire toward adventures whose nobility will fertilize the soul." "A strong hatred is the best lamp to bear in our hands as we go over the dark places of life, cutting away the dead things men tell us to revere." More In History "Newspapers are the second hand of history. This hand, however, is usually not only of inferior metal to the other hands, it also seldom works properly."― Arthur Schopenhauer "Part of what I loved – and love – about being around older people is the tangible sense of history they embody. I’m interested in military history, for instance, because both my grandfathers fought in World War II. I’m interested in writing because one of those grandfathers wrote books."― Jon Meacham "Really, I have to laugh because there was a whole set of stories that made me sound like the Dragon Lady, you know, ‘tough this and tough that.’ Then there is this business about ‘gooey.’ The bottom line is I am a pragmatic idealist."― Madeleine Albright