we cannot escape history

December 1, 1862 – annual message to congress – Lincoln
-Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves.
November 19, 1863 – “Gettysburg Address” – Lincoln
-The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

Sonnet 18 – Shakespeare
-So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

See also: notes from Fear, War, and the Bomb
Atomic Energy Commission first meeting June 13, 1946 – Bernard Baruch
-We cannot escape history. We of this meeting will be remembered in spite of ourselves.

January 10, 1834 – Christopher Baldwin Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, 1812-1849 (thanks, xkcd)
-It’s desirable every thing printed should be preserved, for we cannot now tell how useful it may become two centuries hence.

This entry was posted in history/memory, literature. Bookmark the permalink.