A. J. P. Taylor Quotes

"Psychoanalysts believe that the only 'normal' people are those who cause no trouble either to themselves or anyone else."
-A. J. P. Taylor

"No matter what political reasons are given for war, the underlying reason is always economic."
-A. J. P. Taylor

"In my opinion, most of the great men of the past were only there for the beer - the wealth, prestige and grandeur that went with the power."
-A. J. P. Taylor

"Human blunders usually do more to shape history than human wickedness."
-A. J. P. Taylor

"He was what I often think is a dangerous thing for a statesman to be - a student of history; and like most of those who study history, he learned from the mistakes of the past how to make new ones."
-A. J. P. Taylor

"Nothing is inevitable until it happens."
-A. J. P. Taylor

"Lenin was the first to discover that capitalism 'inevitably' caused war; and he discovered this only when the First World War was already being fought. Of course he was right. Since every great state was capitalist in 1914. . ."
-A. J. P. Taylor

"Perfect soldier, perfect gentleman never gave offence to anyone not even the enemy."
-A. J. P. Taylor